REAL ESTATE CHENNAI

Would allowing hospitals greater built-up area per unit area of land help bring down congestion and risk of infection? How do you increase security in a hotel or hospital, where visitor comfort and speed of entry is a prime consideration? Where lies the balance between security and personal liberty? When will our roads be safer for commuters?

These were some of the points debated on Saturday at a round-table workshop on ‘Safe Chennai’ where participants looked at various aspects of making the city a better place to live in. The topics covered safety and security aspects in five sectors identified as key to making a city more liveable — transport, hospitality, industries, healthcare and education.

Organised on the Madras Formation Day, by the Confederation of Indian Industry, participants are to give a set of recommendations on making the city a safer place to live in.

Safety drive


Over 11,000 people die in traffic accidents every year, says Mr T.V. Somanathan, Managing Director, Chennai Metro Rail Ltd. The State Government put in place a road safety policy in 2007 and is moving towards enhancing safety on the roads. By year-end, a project would be in place to use computer modelling, satellite systems, including GPS, and detailed data collection to identify the location, causes and context of an accident to put in place appropriate solutions. This could be more traffic lights, signages or other regulations, he says.

A key factor would be increasing the public transport infrastructure and safety and security. Statistics clearly show commuters are safer in public transport than in individual vehicles, he said.

Chennai Metro Rail, which is putting up the metro rail project, is looking to industry bodies such as CII to give their inputs on making it a safe and secure mode of travel. Security comes at a cost not just in terms of expense but also personal liberty. Should security be stepped up to levels that infringe on individual rights? Baggage checks may be the norm for air travel but in surface transport where anybody can access the facility anywhere along the line, would baggage scanning be relevant? It would only add to the cost without significantly helping to add to safety, he pointed out.

Simple steps, big results


Mr N. Prakash, Chairman, CII – Chennai Zone’s Task Force on Arts, Culture & Entertainment, felt that immediate solutions and short-term measures could be put in place to improve the quality of life even as the authorities worked on long-term planning.

Chennai needs a decent taxi service and a commuter-friendly auto-rickshaw service. Could these not be addressed fast, he wondered. These would go a long way in making domestic and international tourists and visitors comfortable. Chennai is a business and tourist hub. Maintaining not just safety and security but also preserving the monuments in a better condition would help. Implementing simple measures such as these are the ‘low hanging’ fruits that could be harvested fast to great benefit, he said.

If residents wish to opt for making an individual home a safe refuge, the constraint would only be cost and not technology.

Mr S. Ramakrishnan, Chief Executive Officer, Real Estate, Marg Ltd, a leading infrastructure and real-estate developer, pointed out that in the last few decades population density in Chenani has increased from about 6,000 a sq.km to about 24,000 and is set to grow to over 32,000 in a few years. Natural calamities, epidemic outbreaks and physical security would all impact a larger number of people.

Physical security could be addressed through increased use of technology that provided for surveillance and monitoring. Laws would be needed to ensure quality in construction — providing earthquake resistant buildings. Health and well-being could be ensured through hygiene and sanitation laws that ensure adequate open space and greenery.