namma mejura

We are used to full day power cuts once (ok, mostly twice) a month. Usually they will shut down one or two areas in the city. I have already wondered in this blog that why such full day power cuts were not done in Chennai for ‘maintenance’?

Tomorrow, it will be a 9 am to 3 pm & 9 am to 5 pm power cuts for most part of the city. The news in The Hindu. . The list seem to cover almost all areas of Madurai. They didn’t seem to leave out any local area names. If you are nostalgic and away from the city for long, go through the area names below

There will be a power shutdown in several parts of the city and surrounding areas on Saturday, May 24, owing to maintenance work to be undertaken by the Tamil Nadu Electricity Board at its K. Pudur, Arasaradi, Anuppanadi, Tiruppalai, Manickampatti, Samayanallur, Teppakulam, Arapalayam and Chekkanoorani sub-stations:

From 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.: Alagarkoil Road, Bharati Ula Road, DRO Colony, Race Course Colony, Pudur Vandipathai Road, New Natham Road, Gokhale Road, Chinna Chokkikulam,

Visalakshipuram, P. T. Rajan Road, Race Course Road, Tamukkam, Manmalaimedu, Viswanathan Road, Kurinji Nagar, Tamil Nadu Slum Clearance Board Apartments, Meenambalpuram, Sathiyamoorthy Nagar, Singarayar Colony, Sonayar Kovil Street, Narimedu, Kattabomman Nagar and Poonthamalli Nagar.

Arapalayam, Karimedu, Mela Ponnagaram, Simmakkal, Yanaikkal, West Masi Street, North Masi Street, West Veli Street, Bethaniapuram, Natraj Nagar, Doak Nagar, Thuvariman, Kochadai, Vilangudi, Fatima College, ESI Hospital, Thathaneri, Sammattipuram, DSP Nagar, Ellis Nagar, S. S. Colony, Duraisamy Nagar, Vanamamalai Nagar, Jai Nagar, Ram Nagar, Meenakshi Nagar, State

Bank Officers’ Colony, Subramania Pillai Street and Bypass Road.

Khanpalayam, East Gate, New Ramnad Road, Anna Nagar, Aravind Eye Hospital, Viraganur, Silaiman, Iravadanallur, Puliyankulam, Panaiyur, Chinthamani, Anuppanadi, Chinna Anuppanadi, Samanatham and Azhagapuri.

Tiruppalai, Narayanapuram, Athikulam, Valluvar Nagar, Viswanathapuram, Mahatma Gandhi Nagar, Mullai Nagar, Sivakkadu, Kulamangalam, Krishnapuram Colony, Bibikulam, Marudupandiar Nagar, Kannanendal, Surya Nagar, Kadachanendal, Oomachikulam, Alanganallur, Sugar Mill, Valayapatti, Senthamangalam, Mettupatti, Narasingam, Uthangudi, Manmalaimedu, Iyer Bungalow, Srinagar, Alagarkoil Road, Kamala Nagar, DRO Colony, Race Course Colony, Karumbalai, Lady Doak College Road, Bhulabai Desai Road, Vallabhai Road, Jawahar Road, H. A. Khan Road, Pattaraikara Road, Besant Road, Kamarajar Nagar, Pudur Vandipathai, Pudur Natham Road, Reserve Line, Chokkikulam, Chinnachokkikulam, V. P. Rathinasamy Nadar Road and Visalakshipuram.

Rajakkalpatti, Maravarpatti, Chathira Vellalapatti, Valayapatti, Errampatti, Palamedu, Konapatti, Chinnapalamedu, Manickampatti, Senthamangalam, Kovilpatti, Azhagapuri, Ayyur and Kallanai.

From 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.: Samayanallur, Thenur, Tiruvedagam, Sholavandan, Melakkal, Nagari, Adalai, Paravai, Podumbu, Alanganallur, T. Mettupatti, Oorseri, Azhapuri and Vavidamarudur.

From 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.: Teppakulam, Adaikalam Pillai Colony, New Ramanathapuram Road, Teppakulam West, Kamarajar Road (up to East Gate), Pankajam Colony, Anuppanadi-Teppam Road, Anuppanadi East and West, Pagalavan Nagar, Meenakshi Nagar, New Meenakshi Nagar, CMR Road, Chinnakanmai, Indira Nagar, Old Kuyavarpalayam Road, Lakshmipuram Street 1 to 6, Khanpalayam Street 1 and 2, Pacharisikara Thoppu, Balarengapuram, Mynah Teppam Street 1 to 3 and Krishnapuram.

Arasaradi, AA Road, Arapalayam, Mela Ponnagaram, Karimedu, Ponnagaram, Ellis Nagar, Mahaboobpalayam, Visuvasapuri, Mani Nagaram, Workshop Road, Kanagavel Colony, Attu Manthai Pottal, Simmakkal, North Veli Street, Raja Mill Road, Scott Road and West Perumal Maistry Street.

Chekkanoorani, K. Puliyankulam, Panniyan, Kinnimangalam, Mavilipatti, Moonandipatti, A. Kokkulam, Karumathur, Kannanur, Sakkilipatti, Kovilankulam, Poochampatti, Jothimanickam, Vadapalanji, Thenpalanji and Palkalai Nagar.

UPDATE:
The power-cut was implemented as mentioned. Electricity promptly went off by 9AM. and back by 5PM in most places.

Railway infrastructure development usually trickles down to Madurai in tiny amount. So it comes as a surprise that quite a few development projects were announced in Railway budget 2008-09.

The single-most important announcement is the double-line between Villupuram & Dindigul on Madurai-Chennai route. The Madurai – Dindigul metre gauge (MG) line is being converted into broad guage (BG) which keeps dragging and now expected to complete by June 08. Another vital announcement is the conversion of Madurai – Bodi MG line into BG.

It’s another matter that announcements in budget takes it’s own time to materialize. The Villupuram-Chengalpattu double-line is still progressing at crawling pace. The estimate of double-line being operational between Madurai & Chennai by 2011 is a bit optimistic.

With the double-line in operation, should 495-km journey take 7 hours? If they can maintain the average speed close to 100-hours, it should be around 5.30 hours. Is it too much to expect?

After nearly a month of intermittent rains, the Palanganatham traffic jam is going from bad to worse.

On Tiruparankundram side, the traffic jam tail now regularly grows upto (can u beleive!) Pasumalai!! Cars and bigger vehicles have a tough time crossing this point daily. I”m glad to be back on a 2-wheeler. Don”t have to agonisingly wait at the end of the tail.

Months earlier, local newspapers reported on a flyover proposal at Palanganatham. The proposal however, doesn”t look convincing. Seemed it will create more confusion than relieving it.

Now, the only practical solution Maduraiites can look forward to, is the creation of new bye-pass for 4-lane (Golden North-South Corridor) National Highway from Kanyakumari to Kashmir. It will start from Paravai (near Samayanallur) in the north and take a newly laid detour to reach Thoppur (near Kappalur) in the south of Madurai.

Ofcourse, this reduction in passing-thru traffic, when it becomes a reality in 2 years, will be compensated by the ever increasing local vehicle population. But what to do? Officials are always busy!!