'Barefoot' cops and airconditioned Hyundai patrol cars

That Chennai is a city with funny priorities is well known.

We have heard about the gifting of 100 air conditioned patrol cars by Hyundai Motor Company, and today comes the report that it will spread its 'goodwill' to other cities in Tamil Nadu.

But I would like to present to the world the classic face of the Chennai policeman, seen in this image. This scene at the junction of United India Colony Fourth Main Road and Arcot Road epitomises the kind of policeman that this squalid metropolis can boast of.

What is the point of adding to the car fleet of such a poorly motivated, unimpressive, unprofessional, technology-illiterate and corrupt force ? What we need is policing with a more professional approach, better evidence gathering mechanisms to prevent corrupt elements cooking up facts and records.

The boom in the economy has only raised the incidence of bribe-taking, with little impact on the ramshackle, broken down road infrastructure, the lack of environmental support systems such as drains and canals, all of which have eroded the quality of life in Chennai. Of what use is 8 pc GDP growth when it means so little for the public?