Tsunami of 2004 on the India's Eastern Coast. (11th anniversary on Saturday, Dec.26, 2015)

Nearly 7000 people were either dead or washed off in Tsunami on the East coast of India during the last week of 2004. Many children became orphans and took shelter under the patronage of NGOs and the Church. One is moved by the way they remember their kith and kin and observe silence or take part in procession arranged for the occasion by the well wishers and kind hearted souls in our midst in towns like Nagapattinam, Tuticorin, Nagarcoil in Tamil Nadu state. 

The value and the pain of suffering is known only to those who really underwent such an experience in real life! We tend to question the wisdom and dispensation of Mother Nature in this regard.

As a former civil servant I hold my head in shame when I read the news as follows: 

" Pattas for fisherfolk, permanent homes for the tsunami-affected, removal encroachment s in the coastal regulation zone and inclusion in the ST list are demands that fishermen have been asking for a long time".  

- which individual or a leader/official is going to find a solution to this issue and how soon?

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Tourism

Almost all the countries in the developed world have specialised in promoting tourism as one of their important activities in economic development. About 80 to 90 per cent of the families in the developed world devote time and money to visit places of tourist importance once in a year religiously. People want to be mobile and keep enjoying other parts of the country or other parts of the world. Knowing the trend the developers of tourism have created such an  infrastructure that the tourists look for. 

Reliable and convenient Mode of transport, decent accommodation, clean and regular upkeep of places and buildings, monuments and sites are the requisite  facilities demanded or expected by the tourists. The developed nations have very much improved and maintained these standards in a planned and successful manner. A visit to these countries would reveal this fact beyond any doubt. 

A two-week tour of Scandinavian countries, namely, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Stockholm and Finland by the undersigned in August 2013 has brought to light the following features substantially:

1) All the modes of transport - flight, train, tram, bus, ferry - are comfortable in terms of space, toilets (public convenience), food and beverages etc. especially the toilets are well kept and maintained.

2) All the structures and buildings housing museums and the like are artistically created and maintained to world standards.

3) All types of literature about the tourist places are printed in glossy papers and kept for distribution to the visitors free of cost in any numbers at many counters.

4) Properly trained and employed guides are available wherever the tourists want them at the requisite locations.

The economies of these countries like USA and other countries in Europe, Singapore and  Malaysia in Asia have done very well to attract tourists and sell their USPs in a proper way.

There is hardly a tourist place where there is no toilet attached. 

On the contrary such facilities hardly exist in tourist spots of India. We have a long way to  go and establish world class infrastructure to compete with others and market our culture and heritage in a big way.

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An awful but wonderful experience (5.42 PM, Chennai December 2, 2015)

Raining cats and dogs since the evening of November 30, 2015 and the level of water flow

kept rising slowly to some 8 feet high near the inter-junction of First and Eleventh  avenues ( 100 ft. and 120 ft. roads respectively) at Ashok Nagar in South Chennai (11th Avenue running parallel to Adayar river at a distance of 200 ft). Water started receding only on the night of of December  3, 2015.

Both the avenues suffered a lot on the ground floor of almost all the residential and shopping complexes. Unfortunately there was no prior announcement regarding the possibility of rising water level due to excess flood waters expected from the upper regions of Adayar  river. Some preventive measures could have been easily taken by the residents. Administration - both civil, namely, municipal corporation as well as police establishment was nowhere visible and seen for about 24 hours. We could see some uniformed NDRF personnel on a rescue boat making rounds on first avenue for the first time around 8.00 PM on Wednesday-Thursday (2 -  3 December)  intervening night whom I requested to ensure patrolling in the vicinity during night hours in view of possible looting and theft in darkness.

As a citizen I felt the absence of communication between the administration / government and the people affected for quite some time. In the absence of electric power, phone,  Internet connectivity and T.V the affected families and individuals were not knowing what to do and how to communicate with the authorities. A sensible administration could have established contact with the flood victims through the radio network or through messengers with loud-speakers from time to time. Only 104.8 Hertz. FM radio was trying to establish contacts with the marooned people and passing on information constantly from December 2 onwards. Hats off to this group of youngsters who were innovative and consistent in their work and help to the citizens.

Even in the days of British rule the administration knew how to communicate with the people through beating of drums in different pockets of human settlements at constant intervals. When all modern communication gadgets failed they could have resorted to this traditional means at least or through radio, the most effective mode of communication in such an emergency situation. No Minister including Chief Minister, no municipal Councillors including Mayor, neither the Municipal Commissioner nor the Police Commissioner came live on this medium to be in contact with the people. Only after December 4, 2015 the police vehicles were seen announcing and correcting the rumours of a breach on the banks of Sembarambakkam lake on the western side of the city. People started panicking and leaving the city for their homes in Andhra Pradesh and South & West Tamil Nadu by whatever means available by road - bus and vans in the absence of trains and aircrafts.

I presume thing were better in other parts of the city near the rivers and water courses during heavy rains and floods. Army, Navy and Air Force as well as NDRF came to the rescue of Chennai citizens. NGOs and self motivated individuals and volunteers were more active and dedicated than the expected government servants from the initial beginning. Volunteers did a good job.

(Concluding this write up at 7.30 AM on December 6, after getting the typing gadget recharged from a different locality where the power supply has been resumed)

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