The Huzur Cutcherry is today's Government Secretariat. That is, the nerve center of Kerala's administration. It is only a short distance away from our ancestral home. To separate the Secretariat from the Main Road, there are thick iron fences painted in green. In front of that, there is a ledge for people to rest. In the evenings, I used to spend my time there with friends. If not there, I and my friends would be on the railings around the I.G. Chandrasekharan Nair Police Stadium. Upon hearing the Adhan (call to prayer) from Palayam Juma Masjid, I would pray and return to continue there. At that time, I had many friends from other religions who would come along after purifying themselves and those who watched the prayer with curiosity. My parents could accurately direct those who came looking for Nisar Ahamed at home, saying 'he will be at such and such a place'.
The main reason for choosing the railings of I.G. Chandrasekharan Nair Police Stadium to sit was that the famous Taj Hotel, owned by my maternal grandfather Assanarupilla Peer Muhammed Gazzali, was located at this Palayam junction. In those days, high officials from the administrative center and law enforcement used to gather on the upper floor of the Taj Hotel in the evenings for rest and recreation. Decisions for many case files of the capital were also made on the upper floor of the Taj Hotel itself.
The Secretariat surroundings were of another nature. The buses passing Statue would stop in front of the statue of Dewan Sir Madhava Rao and directly opposite it. There were many acquaintances there. Acquaintances who were walking or alighting from buses would stand and talk for a long time. Various discussions of officials that did not end even after sitting inside the Secretariat continued on these ledges of the fence.
P.A. Muhammed Kannu MLA (Thengapattanam) was my father's maternal aunt's son. He was the Legislative Assembly member from Thiruvananthapuram West constituency twice representing the Muslim League. He was a frequent visitor to our house. He was the Chairman of Peringammala Iqbal College. All my family members worked day and night to write election slips, distribute them, and canvas people. It was not political; it was all because of kinship. From the 1990s onwards, many relatives or friends who held high positions in the Government Secretariat in Local Self Government (Corporation), Education, Public Works, and Industry worked as Private Secretaries and Personal Staff to Muslim Ministers. Many came for various needs. Some would happen. From experience, it is clearly known that some things will not happen even if the Minister or someone beyond him thinks so. There are other procedures for all that. If it is a matter known to everyone and public, it might not even happen. Personal relationships and talent are important in these matters.
So many great personalities who knew me closely have ruled the Thiruvananthapuram Corporation, from Mayor E.P. Eapen to Mayor Jayan Babu, Mayor Chandra, Mayor Padmanabhan, Mayor Kosalaramadas, and my close relative Mayor Baker. Besides this, there were Deputy Mayers, Councilors, and close relatives like Palayam Councilor Aisha Baker (wife of former Mayor Palayam Baker) in the Corporation administration. If it is said that this road should be tarred tomorrow, or a street light should be installed here tomorrow, or trees obstructing the view should be trimmed, it will happen just like that. If one just waves their hand as a committee member, merely giving hope to outsiders by preparing a memorandum and writing a petition, the wait for 'funds' will only extend until the end of time. No matter how much one jumps, there are specific ways for all this. This is why there is something called the Local Self Government Department in Kerala to govern Corporations and Panchayats.
Once, an unfamiliar young man came to me along with a friend who knew me. The visitor introduced himself as running a hotel in front of Medical College for 18 years. I asked if there were only shops of cut-throat people selling surgical equipment there. He said 'Yes'; his hotel was supposedly in between them. The visitor also said that they lived behind the hotel. I asked what the problem was now. Five years ago, a very small room was allegedly built above the hotel. People from the Corporation came and gave notice to demolish it. He went to court and got a stay. The Corporation got the stay vacated. At any time, people would come to demolish it. A petition was given to the Local Self Government Minister. He was waiting for a hearing to get a stay. The Minister's hearing was this week. Anything could be done. 'Sir must help'—this was the visitor's request.
I enquired what was in the file of this case. This is the busiest hotel in front of the Medical College. When wealth increased, to expand the hotel, an entire floor was built without taking any permission. It was not a small room, but a fairly large one. When neighboring shopkeepers started feeling the cooking heat, they gave a written complaint. That is how the Corporation's attention fell on this hotel. In some matters, nothing can be done with money. I told the visitor, I can do nothing in this. Because the neighboring shopkeepers can go to the High Court with the case. I said that even then, he would be punished for not removing the upper floor of the hotel.
However, on the day of the hearing, in the evening, he went to see the Minister at the time allotted by him. He said everything. Since it was the hearing time, the Minister listened to everything patiently. Then the Minister asked the Department Head sitting nearby if anything could be done. The Department Head said clearly and loudly: 'Sir, this is the law. We can do nothing in this. That building must be demolished as soon as possible.' Saying 'Namaste' to that Muslim Minister with a heavy heart, the hotel owner walked out. That case file he had been carrying for five or six years ended there. Since Medical College is a prominent place where everyone travels for some need or other, I am avoiding the name of that famous hotel and the owner's name here. Palayam Nizar Ahamed, Copyright ©allrights reserved Author Palayam Nizar Ahamed (M.Nizar Ahamed) Writer| Journalist |Blogger| Poet| Editor-in-Chief | Flash News-Breaking News Bulletindaily |for investigative reports & editorial writings.
~2.jpg)
No comments:
Post a Comment