Systems

Systems
I am actually angry with the systems and the way they operate. I mean the entire operation systems. Don’t mistake me for mac or window. The way things are organized in this country. Well the country may be too large, so let me just be upset with the city. I am so angry because it has been set up to deal with a small population. For example if come to the Park station on any morning between 5:30 -6:30 am. You will witness a long queue that is waiting to buy a ticket to the local train. There are only two counters and people are fighting their way to get the ticket. Someone came with a brilliant idea of a ticket vending machine. They have installed two vending machines outside the ticket counter. Most of the time you want to buy the ticket you will find that only one machine works. It boldly reads, Contact the ticket counter.

Wherever you go the situation of public toilets is dismal. You can see people standing in long queues to do their job. Leave alone the street toilets. In the Chennai international airport, as you are waiting for your flight you can easily locate the toilet. Not with the signs but with the smell. Just follow your nose and you will get there.
The men’s urinals stink so much as if they have not been cleaned for years. Out of the four taps only three will work. There is no need to talk about the cleanliness of the place. Once I called on the authorities to ask them reasons for the sorry state of affairs. He simply said, “what to do sir, just too many people come and go so that is how we can keep it.”
I have seen much busier airports in the world which handle atleast five times the air traffic yet they remain spotlessly clean. Wonder how much effort goes into cleaning them before blaming the population. Well be it the street corner toilet or the ones in airport they are just not enough for the population that is using it. They are clearly made for small numbers of people despite the fact that there is enough awareness about the number of users.
Why stop with the toilets. Look the buses outside Loyola College from 7:55 – 9:30 am. You will see passengers seeping out of the windows. The bus is moving at 30kmph tilting to one side. It appears as though the students are practicing their hanging skills on the foot board. Not understanding the dangers they try they gymnastics on the bus.
One such hanger said, “I travel all the way from ambattur. I was waiting for a bus for about an hour, but no luck. When the bus finally came it was so crowded that I could not set a foot on it. I could barely find place for my toe. I placed my toe on the foot board, passed my books to the person seated in the last seat and decided to hang my way to college.”
After waiting for hours, you can be sure that not one but two busses will come to the same spot competing against each other. It is no surprise that they too get full.
I will continue with more soon.