Coimbatore city police are in a dilemma over choosing between praise and convenience. While the recent U-turn traffic system they have implemented to replace the traditional traffic signals was a hit in many places across the city, it has backfired and worsened the congestion in some places. Police sources said the problem can be solved if the signal system is brought back. However, as the higher officials have already gained appreciation for the project, the traffic police have been instructed not to turn back on the project, whatever the reason maybe. If the traffic is too heavy, the personnel have been allowed to ‘temporarily modify the U-turn as needed’, said sources.
Hot Iron
When the heavy rains ravaged the four southern districts last month, the private contractors associated with the Water Resources Department found it the perfect time to haggle with the department for pending dues. When the anxious officials knocked on their doors in December to carry out tasks such as strengthening bunds, lining sandbags and ensuring water flow to drains and canals, the contractors refused to help unless their pending dues of around Rs 1,500 crore were paid. After the officials offered repeated assurances, the contractors commenced work. Strike while the iron is hot, right?
Sorry Story
Dramatic scenes unfolded during former chief minister M Karunanidhi’s centenary celebrations organised by Tiruppur district administration at a college in Palladam, as additional secretary (Editor of Debates) N Ravichandran mistook Tirupur North MLA K Selvaraj for an elderly DMK functionary. Ravichandran, who found a ‘random’ person sitting on the dais, asked him to move to the audience. Minutes later, realising his mistake, he requested the MLA to return to the dais. However, when Ravichandran invited Selvaraj to speak , the angry and upset MLA refused. Seeing the senior leader adamant, Chief Government Whip Govi Chezhiaan asked Ravichandran to apologise. Ravichandran then bowed to the MLA and apologised in front of the huge crowd and dozens of media persons.
A Malaysian Beedi
On one fine day in 2019, the toll-free number that offers cigarette smokers help to quit the habit, suddenly turned into a hotline for ‘Malaysian trips’. The operators began to receive a huge number of calls from people enthusiastically boasting of the number of beedi packets they finish in a day. Needless to say, the people handling the toll-free number were bewildered. An inquiry into the incident later revealed that a beedi company had advertised through pamphlets that people smoking more packets would be taken on a Malaysia trip following a lucky draw. However, in an amusing twist, instead of calling the number on the pamphlet, the smokers phoned the number on the beedi packet, leading to all the chaos. As promotion or advertisment of tobacco products is illegal, the call centre run by the company for the lucky draw was then shut down by authorities. An activist recalled the event during a function held in Chennai recently.