Wednesday, May 18, 2011

The new Secretariat and the tax payer’s money.




Barely within a day of Jayalalithaa assuming office, the detractors have started finding fault with her decision to discard the new Secretariat.
This decision of hers is not new or sudden.
She has been telling that all along and also mentioned it in her election manifesto.
If people had voted for her, it means that they have known her stance and accepted it. That is why the authorities in the government had started readying the St George’s on their own volition even as  the election trends were coming to be known.


Most of the money spent by the government is tax-payer’s money.
The detractors must have told this to Karunanidhi when he started the work.
That building was initially planned for 200 crores, but who stretched it to a whooping 1200 crores?

Where was Veeramani, Vaiko and others at that time when Karunanidhi was making it as though a Mukesh Ambani is building his house by his own funds?


Why so much extravaganza and costly fittings for a place that is going to discuss how to provide the next meals to the common man by the representatives of the common man?

The horrific thing is that the structure was gold plated for decoration while millions of women in Tamilnadu can not even think of minimum gold ornaments around their neck and hands. 


Think of the first order signed by Jayalaithaa.
It was to provide 4 grams of gold to the poor girls at the time of marriage.
Gold has such usage in all the families in our State whereas Karunanidhi has no second thought on pouring people’s money for gold plating of the structure.
Can any ordinary woman in Tamilnadu relish the sight of that golden decoration which otherwise could have gone to them in some forms of utility?


Karunanidhi may compare this gold plating with the gold plating done on temple gopurams, but such works are done with devotee’s contribution.
Here the money spent on the Secretariat with all the features of a 5-star hotel could have become more meaningful if spent on the needs of the people.
With that enormous money – which now stands at 1200 crores,
power generation could have been hiked and
many industries could have been saved in the last 2 years of Karunanidhi’s rule.
But Karunanidhi went about his way with the sole aim of wishing to see that he gets a name through that. 
Karunanidhi 'supervises' gold plating work:-



The detractors of Jayalalithaa can not think all these.
They have only one agenda – oppose Jayalalithaa blindly and support Karunanidhi for whatever he does.


The problem with the structure is that Karunanidhi did not seek a consensus on building the new Secretariat.  
Public memory is not short and we know how Karunanidhi’s thirst for name and fame made him thwart the efforts by Jayalalithaa in her previous tenure to build a new Secretariat building.
All her earlier attempts to expand the Secretariat at St Georges were thwarted by the DMK with the help of its ministers at the Centre, solely to deny her a name in history. After coming to power, DMK renamed many structures constructed by Jayalalithaa but our detractors and the media turned a Nelson’s eye to them.


One example where the common man is forced to shell out money due to Karunanidhi’s  thirst fro name is the Koyembedu bus stand (CMBT) originally  inaugurated by Jayalalithaa.
It is the biggest one in Asia.
After coming to power, Karunanidhi engraved his name on it by shifting its entrance to another part of the bus stand.
Because of this, the people have to go half a kilometer extra,
for which the autowallahs coolly charge extra money 20 rupees plus.
Where are Veeramani, Vaiko and others?
Why is the common man made to pay extra money to enter the bus stand through the gate that was shifted just to show Karunanidhi’s name engraved there?
Thousands of people are going to CMBT carrying their luggage in the autos.
Just calculate how much money has been taken out from common man in all these years for an act done to satisfy Karunanidhi’s ego.
Veeramani or Vaiko do not bother about this loss to common man.
That is why they are where they are now!


Not only that, Karunanidhi’ government turned the Koyembedu bus stand into a dump yard.
The bus stand that is the biggest one in Asia was treated callously by Karunanidhi government by dumping the garbage.
No magazine, no reporter, no politician raised a whimper about it.
Probably they do not know about it.
After all the bus stand is meant for common man.
How could we expect these detractors to have gone there in their lifetime to board the buses?
These people would not consider such a treatment to the vital facility of the common man as wastage of public money,
but would jump up to find fault for not using the new Secretariat.


Their grouse is that the Secretariat was built with tax-payer’s money.
Is it right to waste it by not using it?
I agree with them.
It is not right to waste tax payer’s money.
That money can be realized manifold by selling it or leasing it.
One suggestion is that all government offices can be shifted there.
On my part I would say sell it through auction.


Until now 1200 crores have been spent.
More money is needed to finish it, which will take 6 more months for completion.
If Karunanidhi loves it very much, let him buy it.
He is not like Lord Rama who left everything and went to the forest and ‘dared’ to build a bridge across the sea without proper educational qualification.
But Karunanidhi is a different person.
He has all the money to buy the State.
And he was more qualified than the German experts and
built the structure by himself brick by brick.



He has all the money to buy it also.
If he does not, we have umpteen number of billionaires to buy it.
It could fetch nothing less than 10,000 crores if auctioned.
That is public money.
Let that money be used for power projects or other projects which will directly reach the people.
I want public opinion to be built on these lines so that any more spending on that building must be stopped and money is made from the building to benefit the common man directly.


I have another reason to say this.
Karunanidhi has a proven record of a Bhasmasura
He demolished the DMK.
He poured enormous money on the building only to become unusable for the purpose he envisaged.
He could not sit there as Chief Minister.
He could not make his son sit there as Chief Minister.


For such a huge expenditure of public money,
no Vaastu or muhurtha principle was followed to ensure its success.
His choice of inauguration time of the New Secretariat shows that
any assembly session  (the purpose for which it is built) can not go smoothly and
there would be always disputes.
For a building that is meant for devising ways and means for the welfare of the people, this natal chart of the building shows unsatisfactory trends.


Just look at the inauguration muhurtha of the complex.

March 13, 2010,
5-00PM




The lagna is Leo hemmed between malefics (papa karthari).
The lagna lord is in 8th in the bhava chart.
The yoga karaka Mars is in debility in Rasi, bhava and the Shodasamsa (D-16)
(Note: Even if a planet is in debility in rasi, its position in Navamsa can nullify the debility if it is exalted or in a friendly sign in Navamsa. But that is not all. We have to see the Shodasamsa (D-16) also. The Shodasamsa position finally determines the way the debilitated planet of the rasi will behave. The debilitated Mars continues to be in debility in Shodasamsa.)

Similarly the 7th lord, Saturn which was in retrogression in the 2nd at the time of inauguration, has gone into debility in the 4th house in the Shodasamsa.
The Building can not have smooth functioning between the opposite parties.

For mundane purposes, the 11th house and its lord stand for Parliament and Assembly or the seat of people’s representation. The 11th house is Gemini with Ketu occupying it and Saturn casting its 10th aspect on it. The 11th lord Mercury is combust. It is in the 8th in debility in the bhava chart and in the 12th along with karaka for government (Sun) in the 12th in the Navamsa. It is aspected by debilitated Mars and Saturn in D-16.
The structure can not become the seat of Assembly


The dasa running right from inception also happens to be that of debilitated Mars.
In the bhava chart, Mercury, the 2nd and 11th lord debilitates but is redeemed by the 10th lord Venus. Venus as lord of 3rd and 10th is in exaltation in the 8th , but joins Rahu in the 5th in Navamsa aspected by bhaadak Mars (For the fixed lagna of Leo, the 9th lord mars is the Bhaadak) and joins the debilitated Mars in the 7th in Shodasamsa.


The star lords of moon and the current dasa are debilitated in Shodasamsa. The sub cuspal lords of the 1st, 9th and 10th houses also are in debility or weak in D-16. Though the 3rd lord has exalted in the 8th, it is in the asterism of Saturn which is in the 6th from moon in Navamsa aspected by the baadak lord Mars and is in debility in D-16. No session done in this structure can be smooth or beneficial for the public.


From moon, the 4th lord Venus is exalted in the 2nd and from lagna the Venus as 10th lord is exalted in the 8th. In all probability, the structure can bring money. The ideal solution is to stop spending more on it for its completion and instead raise money by selling it. Or raise money by renting it. 


9 comments:

esh said...

nice analysis of karuna's sin to the people.... why dont we sell kalaignar tv,red giant film, cloud 9 films and use that money as compensation to this ugly structure?!
i can call it the ugliest structure.... since its in tamil nadu, it shud hav been build in chola style... but it was built in karuna's style!!

Sheela said...

Dear Madam,

yes, it has majority mandate from people as JJ has told one year before on her stand on this building. There is nothing emotional about this building in commercial location disturbing public and damage has already been done in chopping hundreds of trees., narrowing cooum river adjacent. We nearby residents using these roads were only helpless to see the ecological destruction. As public we need not worry about so called 1200 crores when they have swindled lakhs of crores. Its right we can auction or lease out for returns.
Sheela

Kudanthaiamudhan said...

DEAR MADAM,
YR BLIND SUPPORT IN THIS MATTER CAN NOT BE DIGESTED BECOUSE IT WAS BUILD BY KARUNANIDHI,HIS OPPONENT JAYA DO NOT WANT TO USE IT.WHAT ABOUT THE FLY OVERS,ROADS,BRIDGES BUILT BY DMK GOVT. WILL JAYA USE IT? KARUNANIDHI WOULD HAVE MADE MONEY IN CORRUPTION IN THIS BUILDING BECOUSE THE CONTRACTOR IS HIS OLD FRIEND BASED IN DUBAI. BUT THIS IS TAX PAYERS MONEY. JAYA SHOULD NOT BE ADAMANT ON THIS ISSUE. SHE MUST FOLLOW OTHER CMS IN NOTHERN STATES EVEN KARNATAKA CM YEDDI SHOWED HIS COURTESY TO THE GOVERNOR ABOUT WHOM ONE DAY BEFORE HE WENT TO DELHI TO COMPLAINT. SAME WAY ACHUDANANDAN THE OUTGOING CM WAS PRESENT IN THE SWEARING IN FUNCTION OF OMMAN CHANDI. HENCE JAYA SHOULD NOT HAVE VENGENCE WITH ANYONE. AFTERALL ONLY THE TAX PAYERS MONEY OF RS 1200 CRORES ARE AT STAKE BESIDES SHE HAS TAKEN TAMILS TO OLD BRITISH AND CHRISTIANISED NAME OF
ST GEORGE WHICH KARUNANIDHI WANTED TO AVOID.

Jayasree Saranathan said...

@ Blaze

//why dont we sell kalaignar tv,red giant film, cloud 9 films and use that money as compensation to this ugly structure?!//

Kidding or what?

But the ED will do the job of what to do with Kalaignar TV and other assets of Karuna. JJ will not come into the picture.

I wonder whether this article of mine was taken in the way I expressed. Today the ordinary man is waiting for JJ to strike 'aappu' (ஆப்பு)on all the wings of Karuna and DMK. Everyday I meet people from all walks of life who come to me for counselling. I meet more poor people than others (rich) - anyone from a barber or the man working in the puncture shop to a road side mechanic or a driver. From what I gather from them, people across the State have given the verdict in favour of JJ to fix DMK men. They will not say 'ayyo paavam' nor accuse JJ that she is arrogant, if she whips the DMK men. They have given the mandate to JJ to do that only.
The first information they want to hear is the news of bringing cable TV under govt control. Women folks are Sun TV patrons because they are immersed in serials. But menfolk have no soft corner for Sun TV and Maran brothers.

The people know which building or which piece of land belongs to which member of Karuna's family or the DMK leader. Their anger against DMK is indescribable. After the results, everyone are openly talking about how they were disgusted with the DMK and how much money was given for votes and how they cross voted to the benefit of ADMK. From them I come to know that the cash offered for one vote was 4000 to 5000 in minister's constituencies and above 2000 in other areas.

The people want Amma to take action against the DMK men. She will not do it on her own volition. As she said she will enhance the law and order. The concerned police officials will catch hold of the wrong doers in the course of discharging their duty.

As usual we will hear our 'intellectuals' criticizing her act as political vendetta. This time common man on the street will not be influenced by such talks. They have suffered under the DMK regime and know how it will be better for them if JJ cracks her whip.

Jayasree Saranathan said...

@ Sheela.

Yes. I mean to say that the structure is not a perishable item. It has value. But whether JJ is putting it for use for which MK wanted is where the difference of opinion comes. Anyway it will be put into some use and there is no need to complain that the tax payer’s money is wasted.

In that context I wanted to point out that it was MK who wasted money on that. At the same time he was pumping money to build it, the bus fare was raised in ordinary buses in Chennai. What was Rs 3 earlier was hiked to Rs 9 for the same route in ordinary buses. Whereas that is the cost in modern (sogusu) buses.

Do you know how much that money means for the countless poor who depend on buses only for commutation? For to and fro they have to shell out 18 rupees which is 2 short of the money fixed for the poorest of the poor as the earnings per day as per poverty index. If they have to spend a day’s earning on the bus journey within the city, what will they have to meet other expenses? With the money that went into lavish spending and gold plating of the structure, more new buses could have been bought or the bus fare could have been subsidized. The bus fare hike is not talked by media. But the common man was irritated by the increase in fare. Like this, there are areas that directly affect common man where money was needed to be pumped to ease his expenses. I am sure the average man on the street would not relish the sight of the lavish structure which would remind him of the who’s who building in his native place.

Jayasree Saranathan said...

@ Kudanthaiamudhan

Let me tell you humbly that your comment is not related to what I conveyed in the article. I did not write the article in blind support of JJ, but only the 'intellectuals' are blindly accusing her.

The fly overs by MK - some of them are not at all used by people, you know that? Prominent examples are the one in Boag Road opposite to Pothys in T Nagar and the one built after demolishing Viajayakanth's college.

You mentioned about presence in swearing in ceremony. DMK was conspicuously absent, but people wont find fault with DMK for that. But they would not spare JJ if she does that. That hypocrisy is there. This time she invited Vaiko also and he was allotted the front row seat. Vaiko himself mentioned this in the meeting with his party. But Vaiko didn't turn up. Just before that, Vaiko's fans were writing in various web sites - இத பார், ஜெயலலிதா வைகோவை கூப்பிடலைன்னா பார்’ என்று, they were swearing. She has called but Vaiko didn't honour that. What would these fans say now? Nothing. கப் சிப். Our people have to shake themselves up from their hypocrisies.

Lastly, perhaps Karunanidhi would have likely the Secretariat if named as St Thomas!! If Brtish structures were to discarded, we can not even have the railways. I request people to apply their discriminatory mind and draw conclusions on Jayalalithaa. Cho has expressed it wonderfully in today's Thuglak to question why he is supporting JJ. Read it in page 25 of today's Thuglak.

Unknown said...

Jayasree Madam,
Could you make prediction on P Chidamabaram & Pranab Mukherjee because I think they are guardians of corrupt UPA & Sonia Regime.

Bala said...

In the late 90's I had a friend who was an LIC agent.

When I visited his office one day, I felt that it was drab, dull and totally uninviting place.

I mentioned my reservations about the office to him and asked him why does the LIC organization keep it that way. Why don't they try to make it modern so that the public will be attracted to visit them often so that LIC will get more business etc.

His reply was interesting.

He said that LIC trains its agents to service their customers in such a way that they need not have any trouble at all to meet their requirements of learning about new types of policies, their premiums, filling up of the forms, collecting the premiums, sending the receipts to the customers etc etc.

In fact LIC used to tell their agents that their customers should not leave their houses or offices to send their premium payments or collecting their receipts.

The agents have to visit their customers's homes or offices to render the service. They should be even discouraged to visit the LIC offices also!

Strange is it?

No according to my friend.

Since he said that from their profit, LIC distributes 95% back to the customers by way of bonus, loyalty bonus and other terms and retains only 5% of the profit for their own use.

Their logic is which is more beneficial for the customers? - 95% profit given back to them as bonus or most of the profit being used to create a eye catching office with lavish furniture sets, air conditioners etc?

I have no idea whether what my friend told me was true or not but if it was true, it was the most outstanding way of giving service to the customers.

Of course this was before private players came into the picture. Those days LIC was a monopoly,today it has lot of competition.

I do not know about its present status as compared to what my friend said at that time. Today some of the LIC offices I have visited have also become very modern, which may or may not be true of all the LIC offices.

The purpose of my writing this piece was to highlight the factor that service to the people should always take the priority before anything else,especially if it is a government organization.

Lavish and eye popping constructions for the purpose of creating a good impression should be avoided by all means.

Bala

Jayasree Saranathan said...

Response from a friend through e mail

//Nice collection.Even giving gold to poor whose money she in donating to whom what right she has to decide on such issues,every one wants to come to power because politics is also a proffesion,entry fee is very high and return thro' corruption is also very high making people dry.
- Sundar //

My reply

We must know that JJ was not for freebies but for blunting MK's freebie culture.

This gold + money assistance is only for marriage of poor girls at the time of marriage. Only one in a family can avail this scheme. There is income limit (father's income) to this scheme. Already this scheme is in existence with an assistance of Rs. 25000. Last year alone 1,69,832 girls were benefited by this scheme. JJ has modified this scheme with income limit and a rider that the girls with diploma or graduate degrees will get 50000 whereas those not having the educational qualification will continue to get 25000. By her modification, she is encouraging the poor girls to study after high school.

The beneficiaries are the poorest of the poor. Marriage expense is a big burden in those families. Female infanticide is a direct result of the inability to bear marriage expenses of the girl child. In the back ground of such socio-economic situation that is still harming the poor, this scheme is certainly a boon to them. Let us come out of our cushy homes and think for them