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Vol. XXVI No. 06, July 1-15, 2016
Archives: Vol. XXVI No. 06, July 1-15, 2016
Importance of being the Mayor
(By The Editor)
The State Legislature passed a Bill recently to the effect that mayoral elections in all municipal corporations of the State will no longer be by public franchise. Hereafter the incumbent will be selected by the majority of the councillors in each civic body. This has brought about a fresh twist to the way our cities and towns are governed, though it must be said that there are as many pros as cons in this new system. The impact of such a move on Chennai in particular is likely to be quite significant.
For our city, the concept of elections to the Corporation Council is relatively new, despite the fact that the oldest civic body in India governs it. That is because an entire generation grew up with the Corporation Council being suspended, following the muster roll scandal in the 1970s. Elections were brought back in 2001, following which we have had direct elections to the office of Mayor, polls being held along with those for the entire Council. So far, the city has had Mayoral candidates who are affiliated to one of the two dominant political parties in the State. There has also not been a situation where the Mayor is from one party and the majority in the Council is from another. This has ensured that the functioning of the Council had been relatively smooth, though dreadfully one-sided.
It would appear that the present change has come keeping electoral mathematics in mind. With the recently concluded Assembly Elections having shown that the two principal political parties are running neck to neck in vote share and two-digit margins determined the winner in many cases, it would appear that elections to the civic body too would have a similar trend. The memory of last year’s devastating floods could also cause a swing one way or the other. In such a scenario, the unthinkable may happen – an overly charismatic leader from one party could win the Mayoral election but could be faced with the opposite party winning a majority of the seats. This could lead to an impasse in the Corporation’s functioning. Under the new legislation, the Mayor will be elected from among the Councillors and so such an eventuality can be avoided.
Let’s celebrate Madras again
(By A Staff Reporter)
Madras Week will be celebrated between 21st and 28th of August. In past years, we have had enthusiastic city-wide celebrations with excellent support from the media, old and new. We trust that this year will be no different. The Week, which started off as Madras Day 13 years ago to celebrate our city has become virtually a Madras Month judging by the programming last year. The celebrations this year, like last year, are likely to be spread throughout August and will carry on till the first week of September. For the small band of volunteers who catalysed this celebration and now help coordinate the programmes, the response from corporates, educational institutions, citizens of the city, and even diplomatic missions has given enormous satisfaction.
One of the biggest in S.E. Asia
The white tigress and her cubs at the Vandalur Zoo.
An early report after the inauguration, states, “The first task was to enrich the animal collection of the zoo and the highest priority was given to acquisition of glamorous exotic animals from different parts of the globe. Breeding of the rare and endangered species of wild animals, like Sangai (Thamin deer), Swamp Deer, Lion-tailed Macaque, Nilgiri Langur, Indian Gaur, Wild Dog, Indian Tiger and the Asiatic Lion, was successful. Avian species that bred successfully included the Pea Fowl, Red Jungle Fowl and Kaleej Pheasant. The Rock Python and the rare Malabar Squirrel, endemic to the Western Ghats, have also bred well.”
What’s happening to this famed hall?
An article by Sriram V. to serve as a reminder
Tucked away in Armenian Street, in the same line as the Armenian Church, St. Mary’s Cathedral and the headquarters of Binny’s stands the stately building which houses the Young Men’s Indian Association (YMIA). The Association owes the existence to Annie Besant, the Theosophist, social reformer and Indian nationalist.
Old Rosarians remember Mylapore
A few of those who studied in Class IV in 1955-56 at Rosary Matriculation School, San Thomé, recently got together at the campus for a walk down memory lane. Most remembered the school, but some recalled the area and it is the recollections of the latter that we feature below.
It was special meeting with a few men present, for this was the last batch at Rosary which had boys in school.
