Anxious Moments for GTB Customers
(Inputs : Sarat Devara & P. Viswanath)

With the RBI deciding to suspend operations of Hyderabad-based financially troubled Global Trust Bank , investors faced anxious moments wondering whether they would get their hard-earned/ill-gotten money back. Even the permitted amount of Rs. 10000 that they were supposed to be able to withdraw from the bank's ATMs was not available to them. All this led to considerable anger and frustration - however, Vizag did not witness the kind of violence that Hyderabad did with breaking ATMs and damaging property.

This was followed by a sigh of relief with announcement from the government that the bank would be merged with the Delhi based public sector Oriental Bank of Commerce. The moratorium on GTB, which was announced on Saturday afternoon by the Union Government will continue till the scheme is approved by the government and notified. At present, the depositors are permitted to withdraw a total of 10,000 rupees from the their savings account or current account or any other bank deposit account through any of the branches of the bank.

Depositors started queuing up before the GTB from the early hours of the day itself. The police have made elaborate arrangements to avoid any stampede at the bank. The city police commissioner B.Prasada Rao visited the bank in the morning and spoke to the bank officials about the arrangements. The Asilametta branch manager V. Partha Saradhi appealed to the customers not to be worried about their deposits.

Vizagites have been hearing rumours of an impending crisis in GTB for a long time - something that was vehemently denied by the bank staff. Now we know better.

ROPEWAY PROJECT STILL 'UP IN THE AIR'
(Inputs : Sarat Devara & P. Viswanath)

The much-hyped 'ropeway project' which is a cable car from the base of Kailasa Hill to the top (Vizagites love the word 'project'), ceased functioning within a week of its inception and is yet to re-start. The project was a joint venture of a Kolkatta based firm, Conveyers and Ropeways Limited, and the Urban Development Authority (VUDA).

The project was controversial from the beginning itself with environmentalists opposing it and several wondering if there was any need for it when a road and steps to the top already existed.

ANDHRA UNIVERSITY EXPANSION PROGRAMME

The Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh, Dr Y. S. Rajasekhara Reddy laid the foundation stone for the construction of buildings of the Andhra University campus at Tadepalligudem in West Godavari district. The new campus was also formally inaugurated despite heavy showers by Dr Reddy from the van he was travelling in. The Chief Minister also assured the concerned people of his unstinted support for all the expansion programmes of the university.

The Union Budget for the year 2004-05 presented by the Finance Minister P. Chidambram or 'PC' as the print medium refers to him, has evoked mixed reactions in the city just as it has around the country.

The VizagCityOnline.com team spoke to a cross-section of Vizagites to get their opinion:

Dr. Rayavarapu Ramakrishna, Associate Prof of Applied Economics of AU, said the budget had some positive and negative aspects: "While the top priority given to agriculture rural development, health, primary education is a definite plus, the deceleration of the economic reforms is a matter of concern".

Madhu, a employee of the Vizag Steel Plant welcomed the budget as there were no extra taxes levied and no cuts in interest rates. While the minimum slab for Income Tax has been raised to Rs. 1 lakh per annum, he felt it should have been made 2 lakhs per annum! He was also happy that profit-making PSUs were not being privatised.

Charan, a Congress party activist we spoke to had nothing but praise for the budget. Whether he genuinely felt this way or was being loyal to his party was not clear.

Narayana, a student of Andhra University, was happy with the 2% cess for education. Divakar, a Computer Science student expressed happiness that the prices of computers were expected to come down now that excise on the same has been removed.

Appanna, a farmer from Anakapalle , as is to be expected, was delighted with the thrust on agriculture. "The new coalition has kept its promises" he said. The crop insurance scheme and the exempting of tractors from excise would help the farmers of Andhra to come out of their present mess.

No matter how much you might have enjoyed the Hollywood blockbuster, The Planet of the Apes, you sure wouldn't keep your cool when a species of ape suddenly invaded your home and there's no respite at hand. But that's exactly what the residents of Peethalawari Street in Chinna Waltair are going through - this monkey mafia means business!

A troop of monkeys has made East Point Colony their home for the past few years. They began with peeking through the windows, hunting for a tasty morsel or two, and making off with edibles whenever they could. But now they aren't docile anymore - the troop has turned aggressive and doesn't spare anyone who comes in between.

Satyavati, a resident of Peethalawari Street, was attacked and traumatized by a troop of monkeys who had entered her attic recently. Panic getting the better of her, she sought her way out even as she was surrounded by the hungry animals. As she tried to use a log of wood to defend herself and quell the monkeys, matters turned worse and the troop turned violent, attacking her together. Satyavati screamed for help, and her neighbours came to the rescue. Chased by the neighbours, the monkeys fled, leaving Satyavati in a state of shock, bitten and bleeding.

The troop of monkeys is led by a stocky red-faced chief with a cleft in the lip - "A master at subterfuge" says Vani, a local resident. A single monkey always keeps a watchful eye, even as his colleagues hunt for food, she adds. When they get what they want, they return peacefully. But why should the residents be compelled to cater to monkey whims?

Asked to suggest a way out, VSPCA volunteer Mallika Gujral says monkeys are making a foray into the city because of the rapid depletion of forests. "Allow dogs in the street, and the monkeys will vanish," she adds, rather unhelpfully.

The residents of East Point Colony did their bit too - going to the zoo for help, only to be directed to the sewage farm whose personnel are in charge of rounding up stray animals. There, they were asked to meet Veterinary Assistant Surgeon Dr Karunakaran, who while agreeing that number of complaints on monkey menace was on the rise, did not offer practical help. He had this to say:
"We are concerned about the victims and gave advertisements in the newspapers calling for monkey catchers (Ed: we didn't know there was such a profession!). As there was no response locally, we have hired Kancharana Ravindra a 'specialist monkey catcher' from Nellore, who is expected shortly".

To solve this persistent monkey menace in the city one Professor P.G.K.Murthy approached the corporation with a unique solution. He devised an 'electronic device' that he calls a 'monkey repeller' which costs around 400 rupees. This device if touched gives a mild shock and scares away the monkey. He hasn't heard from the corporation till date.

In the meanwhile, this menace has spread to areas other than East Point Colony such as Allipuram and Marripalem.

What do the residents of East Point Colony do now? Since nobody seems to be listening they can only grin and bear the Monkey Raj.

"Sorry I'm late - I was held up in traffic". A decade ago, this excuse could not have saved you from your boss. Today, he/she might hear you out patiently and actually believe you! 

While problems with traffic are still not in the league of Calcutta or Madras (oops, Kolkata and Chennai), the increase in traffic in Visakhapatnam over the last decade has been phenomenal. Choking exhaust fumes, blaring horns and frayed tempers are routinely experienced by the average Vizagite during rush hour.  

All this is not surprising: The rate of growth of vehicles in Vizag is twice the national average! One reason for the sudden growth is the increase in affluence. Vehicles, be it 2 wheelers or 4 wheelers are not out of reach of most people anymore. The rise in living standards and the easy availability of loans is a major contributor to this growth, says Mr. Jagdish a Marketing Executive from ICICI Bank's loans division (He ought to know!) 

Congestion due to vehicular traffic is only part of the reason - Pedestrian traffic - make that unruly pedestrian traffic - is also a major contributor. The impending 'population explosion' that most of us learnt about in School in the Seventies and Eighties is here. A traffic constable we spoke to complained of the hordes of college students blocking busy Asilmetta junction at certain times of the day.

While we are on the subject, how can we forget poor infrastructure? Narrow roads, lack of parking especially in places such as Jagadamba junction, Dabagardens, Dwaraka Nagar and the Beach Road are actually making people avoid these places.

Can indiscipline and disregard for others be a factor? You bet! Take the case of Sampat Vinayak temple. The devotees who stand on the road and worship seem to believe that keeping the Lord above happy at the expense of their fellow men is perfectly acceptable. Then, take the case of wedding receptions being held on the roads by cordoning off an area and erecting a 'pandal' over it! Building a house? Don't waste money on a godown. Dump your building material on the road! 

When asked about the present situation, Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) for traffic, T.S.R. Prasad, responded cautiously, saying that the traffic in Visakhapatnam has not reached the state of crisis. "It is true that in certain areas there is some congestion but it is only confined to busy hours of morning when people rush to their work place and at dusk when people return to their homes. We are deploying our men to man the traffic at busy junctions during the peak hours of the day." When asked about the problems with parking at the beach road, he said that on the weekends over 6OOO two-wheelers and 500 were present there. "To accommodate such a huge number, we have identified areas for parking. Regular patrolling is being done to avoid jams and to assist the parking of vehicles. We are doing our level best; to do more we require the support of the people".

There are several ways of tackling this growing problem:

(1) Reduce the number of vehicles voluntarily or through legislation.
(2) Cater to the growing traffic by building more/wider roads and flyovers.
(3) Change our behaviour and breeding patterns.

Going by the past, none of these seems to be realistic! Thankfully, easygoing Vizagites, for the most part, keep their road rage in check.