Chennai discussions II

[Arul Murugan]

Originally Posted by Indian Sun

Here is an exception. We need more like him.

Anyway yesterday I had an exchange with an auto driver.

Me: "T. Nagar poganum. Bazullah Road."

Auto: "Vaanga, sir"

Me: "Evalo ?"

Auto: "150 kudunga"

Me: "Auto vela kekkala"

*He drives away*

Take taxi. It is some times cheaper than Autos.

But the problem with taxi is, we don't have it like auto. Fast track is expanding very fast!

Hope soon their no. goes high. Heard many car owners are making good profit with fast track tag. Before having this fast track tag, they were striving hard to run this business.

[Indian Sun]

Fast Track has given rise to several other wannabes - First Track, Far Track etc !

[kannan infratech]

Call Taxis are cheaper than autos in a practical sense. No arguments and no circumventing the route etc. You know the distance & the rate.

Only issue is you have to prebook and wait. If they are allowed like the olden days yellow & black cabs and are allowed to park in designated road corners, autos will lose their business. (I hope that taxi drivers will not become a new breed like autokkarans).

But the Prepaid Taxis at Airports & Rly Stations are getting costlier.

[krishnaswamy]

Chennai-yele Auto fare moderate panninathukkaga Kalaignarukku Paruttu vizha nadanthathe!

[bonoslack7]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-14362723

As the print deadline approaches, there is a sense of urgency in the air. It is late evening at the offices of the Mylapore Times and in a few more hours the first proofs of the paper need to be ready.

The newspaper has a weekly circulation of more than four thousand copies, but its offices are modest.

One small room with bright blue walls houses the production team which comprises no fewer than seven people at any given time.

The adjacent room, piled high with old editions, is the reception area hosting a steady stream of local businessmen and women here to take out advertisements.

Advertisements are the lifeblood of this local newspaper and its pages are filled with classified postings for jobs and services.

Revenue from these is growing, and keeps the paper functioning, says its editor Vincent D'Souza.

This is in stark contrast to that of many local newspapers in the US and the UK, which have been forced to shut down or scale back because of diminishing advertising income.

"The story in India is quite different because local businesses are growing because of globalisation and opening up of the markets.

"I think people are becoming more ambitious and there are lots more entrepreneurs in the country," he says.

Increased revenue

Despite the hold the television industry has on the country, it is the print press which is attracting more advertisers, making up 47% of the overall share.

In the past year alone, advertising spend for print media was worth $2.86bn (£1.74bn).

A recent industry analysis from KPMG and the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) suggested that the value of the Indian newspaper industry has grown by two-thirds in the past six years.

In 2005, the total industry was worth $2.64bn dollars. This rose to $4.37bn in 2010.

It is predicted to continue to rise at an annual rate of 10% between 2011-2014.

The localisation of content and the introduction of specific pullouts, such as wedding supplements and womens' sections, is one reason why newspapers continue to pull in advertisers, says Mr D'Souza.

More than 107 million copies of newspapers were circulated daily across India in 2009, according to the World Association of Newspapers, and it's estimated that one in every five daily newspapers in the world is published in the country.

Diverse readers

Increased literacy is one reason for the rise in newspaper readership in India - not just in English language titles but in regional languages.

Almost one-third of India's 579 million literate population is said to read a newspaper now, according to KPMG analysis.

Across India there are hundreds of titles in regional dialects. India's largest selling newspaper, Dainik Bhaskar, which is published in Hindi, continues to attract readers and revenue.

All this is making the existing newspaper market much more competitive.

Editorial staff at the Hindu, Chennai's oldest surviving newspaper, say they've had to adapt to survive.

The paper had a "virtual monopoly" in the English language newspaper market in Chennai, but in recent years other national newspapers such as the Times of India have started editions, says Mukund Padmanabhan, associate editor of The Hindu.

The paper now has a number of regional editions, which contain national content alongside pages of localised news relevant to the distribution area.

"We're having to expand and open more editions," he says. "This is a large country so you need to have multiple printing centres. More and more newspapers are reaching out to places where they haven't before."

Another reason for increased readership is the low cost of buying a newspaper, says Mr Padmanabhan.

"Pricing is at about a tenth of the price of a newspaper in America or in the UK so it's possible for an upper middle-class family to buy two or three newspapers a day."

Internet factor

While many newspaper markets have been hit by the growth of online journalism the outlook for Indian print media remains buoyant.

The figures on the numbers of newspapers in India vary greatly, but it's believed there are thousands rather than hundreds of in them the country, with many more editions being added all the time.

One of the key reasons is the low penetration of internet outside large urban centres.

"India is considered among those developing countries that will last see the wrath of digital penetration because Internet penetration is still nascent and consumer migration has not yet happened," says KPMG.

In the West, the rise of the internet has been a driving factor in the demise of many print editions.

Paul Gillin, who runs the website newspaperdeathwatch.org, says by one count he saw more than 200 weeklies close in the US 2009 alone.

While they are growing considerably and raking in the profits of India's rapid expansion, the newspapers in the country are well aware of the imminent threat posed by the web.

"Internet penetration is still relatively low but that will soon change," says Mr Padmanabha.

"Every newspaper realises there's lots more competition than there was before."

[sshivakumar]

Originally Posted by kannan infratech

One of my friends from Haryana (Jat) visited us last week. He took an auto from central after fixing Rs.150 for Central to Adyar KB Nagar. (Max 11 Kms).

The Auto Driver took him for a ride and demanded Rs. 300, as he can not understand Tamil. But our Jat was smarter. When they crossed the Police station opp Adyar Bus Depot, he made so much noise that the auto driver stopped the auto. Our Jat promptly went into the station and complained.

The auto driver tried some usual Tamil stunts to confuse the police. They called me and cross checked.

Finally the auto driver was punished and his DL & Auto Permit were confiscated.

But how many Jats are there to stand up to these Goons?

Wow..!!! Salutes to him, how many locals are ready to do this? Atleast turn down the auto driver if he demands more than reasonable fare. Also attempt to use public transport as much as possible. On the contrary I felt call taxis are fare better and hassle free and comes for a reasonable fare, sometimes cheaper than Autos.

[kongutamizhan]

Originally Posted by sshivakumar

Wow..!!! Salutes to him, how many locals are ready to do this? .

Avaru Jatu. senjiputtu vadakkala poyi kundhikittu nimadiya bathroom povaru. Local-na vootukku auto, porul (aruva on aruva stand) ellam varumla?

[vinodgopal]

Originally Posted by kongutamizhan

Avaru Jatu. senjiputtu vadakkala poyi kundhikittu nimadiya bathroom povaru. Local-na vootukku auto, porul (aruva on aruva stand) ellam varumla?

autokaranga ellam romba soft type. Baasha padathula rajinikanth madhiri. Uyarntha ullam la Kamal madhiri.

[darkprinz]

yabba ella oorlayum autokaranga ipdidhan pa irukanga.... Adhum veli ooru nu therinja avlodhan ...

[Indian Sun]

Yes, the discrimination against outsiders is there in every city in India (not that much in Mumbai, I felt) but namma ooru Auto guys konjam over dhaan.

[kannan infratech]

I forgot to tell the climax.

My Jat friend was dropped at our house by the police in Police Hyundai Car.

[wlbkng]

Thats superb. Now he would have got an image that Police are better than autokaarans

[vinodgopal]

Originally Posted by kannan infratech

I forgot to tell the climax.

My Jat friend was dropped at our house by the police in Police Hyundai Car.

oosila lift kadaikkum pola complain panna. i am going to follow this example

summave oru rendu autokarana pudichu complain pannaporen

[kannan infratech]

Originally Posted by kongutamizhan

Avaru Jatu. senjiputtu vadakkala poyi kundhikittu nimadiya bathroom povaru. Local-na vootukku auto, porul (aruva on aruva stand) ellam varumla?

KT:

Why so much of negativity in your postings? Cheer Up Man

[Indian Sun]

Originally Posted by vinodgopal

oosila lift kadaikkum pola complain panna. i am going to follow this example

summave oru rendu autokarana pudichu complain pannaporen

If you remember, In Mudhalvan, our Oru Naal CM used to go to the Secretariat by auto

Take a hint.

[Cosmicbliss]

Originally Posted by ranga

Why tourists think autorickshaw drivers take them for a ride
http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/...cle2312722.ece

Finding a tourist-friendly autorickshaw is a matter of luck. A driver of one such vehicle helping a tourist from Oman find his way around the city is a rare thing.
When Younis Ahmed, a tourist from Muscat, landed in the city for the first time a couple of days ago, the first person he spoke with was an autorickshaw driver. The experience was far from pleasant.

He was charged Rs.400 for a journey from the airport to a hotel in the Thousand Lights area. “Tourists like me are suffering a lot,” he says.

After being repeatedly fleeced, he finally found a tourist-friendly autorickshaw driver who helped him buy a SIM card, book a local flight and even suggested the best restaurants in the city.

But out of the 55,000-odd autorickshaws in the city, the number of tourist-friendly autorickshaws is only 113. Finding one during the course of a few days of stay is a matter of luck.

“If autorickshaw drivers fleece us like this, we will never come back,” Mr. Ahmed says. “The autorickshaw is an enduring image of any Indian city. Drivers need to be given formal training in dealing with tourists. The government must also seriously consider fixing a ceiling on the maximum fare that can be charged,” he adds.

Due to the lack of information booklets on bus routes and unreliability of public transport services, most tourists have no option but to engage a cab or an autorickshaw.

Anyone, who is fair-skinned or looks like an “outsider,” is targeted, says Goutam Mitra from Kolkata, who has come to the city on vacations several times. Some tourists also complain about being forced to pay an advance of Rs.800 to Rs.1,000 just for a one-hour ride around the city by autorickshaws.

“Ideally, every autorickshaw must be tourist-friendly. Even residents of the city deserve better service,” says S.Purushothaman, coordinator of the 113 tourist-friendly autorickshaws in the city.

He says Chennai must start following the example of Delhi where autorickshaw drivers who have been certified for good behaviour after undergoing training are given vehicle stickers. “Special permission must also be given for parking tourist-friendly autorickshaws near the Egmore museum, Fort St. George and Kapaleeswarar Temple,” Mr. Purushothaman adds.

He says there are also serious problems with regard to bus services and pedestrian walkways.

“Contrary to what people think, nearly 80 per cent of the tourists belong to the low-budget category. Some have backpacks as heavy as 25 kg and there is just no space to walk on the road. Also, airport authorities must give exemption to at least tourist-friendly autorickshaws to enter the airport premises so that visitors to the city are not forced to walk for nearly two km with their luggage.”

After pleasant experience in the state capital of a neighbouring state the tourists face bitter experience with the auto fellows in chennai.Why Govt after Govt in the state become impotent as far as this issue is concerned?This has been happening for decades with no end in view.

Living in Bangalore I agree that autodrivers here are better than Chennai but slowly, they're getting worse here too. However, because many are Muslims one can get by with Hindi and need not know Kannada. Particularly if you're an outsider they do charge more, but it is still quite affordable. (Getting worse though)

[engineer.akash]

Originally Posted by ranga

He says Chennai must start following the example of Delhi where autorickshaw drivers who have been certified for good behaviour after undergoing training are given vehicle stickers. “Special permission must also be given for parking tourist-friendly autorickshaws near the Egmore museum, Fort St. George and Kapaleeswarar Temple,” Mr. Purushothaman adds.

hahaha nice joke,If every city starts emulating delhi then you will end up hearing gaalis after every sentence

[wlbkng]

Originally Posted by Indian Sun

In Mudhalvan, our Oru Naal CM used to go to the Secretariat by auto

Ipadi usupethi usupethi avaroda udamba ranakalam aaka vekka paakura.. terror planning dhan po

[vinodgopal]

paathunga silla samayam nachu pallu irukkum engayavudhu CM Geeyum aida poren.

naa nimmadhiya irukaradhu ungallukellam pidikalaya?

[avinash2060]

People it's a Questionare on Lok pal Please vote for the same .the same will be sent to PM by Times Now
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