Friday, June 16, 2017

Synapse Pain and Spine Clinic, Chennai, India

What do you call when a doctor's greed exceeds that of a real estate mafia don?

Synapse Pain!

This is an illustration of how the entire civic administration in Chennai is corrupt The formula is simple: have access to power, bribe your way through, and just do what your greed dictates with a callousness that is appalling. Bulldoze your way through trampling commonsense ethics!

I reside in M90/4 Seventh Avenue, Besant Nagar, Chennai - 600090 which is bang opposite RBI Staff Quarters.

In December, 2015 the flat at M90/1 was sold to a Apollo Consultant of a doctor. This stout abrasive man (no concern for others is a definition of abrasive) took possession and lost no time in digging and hammering the flat as the kitchen was reconfigured from what TNHB had designed 4 decades back. The drilling and hammering went for three months that the building shook.

We allowed the nuisance to continue. Most house-owners do add a thing or two and this is usually condoned. But when it came to changing the facade of the building I got agitated.

But it certainly raised hackles when pavement tiles were laid on the common property of the building. The iron fencing was removed, the separate entrance was sought to be made.

I was livid and consulted other neighbours, M90/3 is Mylapore Mami with no worldy side, two other residents have locked the flat and gone away for one now resides in Africa and another in Hyderabad. I was the lone voice of dissent.

 The doctor Dr. Karthic Babu Natarajan and Dr. Vanmathy Venkatapathy met us - M90/2 and M90/4- for a meeting some time in the middle of June. We told them, " No forty feet separate gate at the entrance. No glow signs. Don't change the residential nature of the building."

The Malar Fortis Doctor kept saying, " Sorry" while the Apollo fellow kept shifting in his chair uncomfortably. This short fellow looks like Quick Gun Murugan and used to throwing his weight around.  Nature has made him short true to the Tamil saying: don't trust shorties

This doctor duo violated every rule in the book. This TNHB property and the sale deed is very clear: no construction on common property, no advertising signs and don't be a nuisance to others.

The violations:   

 a) A forty feet PRIVATE gate for a separate entrance: This gate is open from 9 am to 9 pm and that makes this building very attractive for stray dogs to come inside the premise and make a nuisance. 
    b)   40 ft glow sign that burns throughout the night. This gold medalist of a doctor from SRMC (the biodata looks impressive but not the short fellow) wants neon signs and all the latest frontage science for promotion. The font sizes of Synapse Pain & Spine Clinic must be the largest in the whole of Adyar area.  
       c)  Spotlights and side advertising on the side walls. This doctor is genius in merchandizing. Again letters protruding out with no breathing space. Such a gross fellow!

         d) The doctor converted the kitchen into a dark room. This is land grab and encroachment of at least 10 ft x 20 ft of FREE COMMON SPACE for a daylight robbery. Beside adding 8 AC units. 

        e) A PRIVATE industrial generator. Look this doctor needs 24 hours glowsigns and so the lights must glow in the night skies. When TNEB fails this generator will rattle away with a noise that disturbs the peace and sleep of the neighbourhood. But our amiable and civic minded doctor does not reside here, this is only a place of business for him even if it comes with neighbours cursing their hearts out.


      f) The discharge pipe at the foot of the staircase leaks sewage water. This makes me feel humiliated at my impotence at stopping the raider. 



            So you got the picture! This man is highly connected. He did all this on this own, we simply did not exist. This M90 was a building with six owners but our doctor used it as an exclusive property - use it it to his best advantage by hammering and altering without compunction. Others dead or alive were no concern to him. The entire exercise of encroachment was carried with a perfection; some one who knew the system inside out and out to exploit to the fullest.

I woke up late. I consulted friends and they said: write a complain and send it as many people as possible

a) Corporation of Chennai. I spoke to Adyar Zonal officer K Balakumar and gave a written complaint. The Assistant Engineer Mr, Murthy said," I can't act because you are lone complainent."

b) I made online complaint at the corporation site and the Chief Minister Grievance Cell.

c) I met the TNEB engineer who said, " This doctor pulls strings in high places. We can't do a thing."

d) I went to Thiruvanmiyur Police Station and gave a written complaint. They sent a constable to the premise in July, 2016 and he said," We have only an advisory role. Only the Corporation can take a decision."

e) I wrote to the Vigilance Officer at Corporation, TNHB,. Wrote to Mayor's office.

f) Spoke to the Councillor of the ward 181. I even wrote to the MLA of Mylapore and spoke to the ex-MLA of Velachery.

g) I spoke to Adyar News and Adyar Talk. The latter responded by sending a reporter.

The point I am making is: If you have access of power, you can do anything in Chennai. I am a law abiding citizen paying the Corporation tax (those property taxes every six months), Sewage bills,  TNEB bills for decades. Yet when I approached every door, none responded. Typical bureaucracy and everyone has been oiled and taken care!

Now suddenly after living in this building for 27 years, I feel a sense of insecurity. Any hooligan can occupy a premise and do as per his free selfish will. I am so scared. This looks a real prospect: they could occupy my flat and I can do nothing. Maybe, I am already a candidate for harassment and even threat to my life. (I wonder why this short fellow should go to SRMC to study medicine if at all he wanted to be a goon). 

All this only shows: Despite all talks of liberalization and free market economy, Chennai is still a jungle where the tiger can kill and roam with absolute impunity. By rising my voice in protest I am perhaps endangering my own life. But I don't wish to be a coward anymore.

These additional structures would have devaluated by flat by 25-50 lacs. This is a solid standing proof of corruption in Chennai (not those cases of graft where monies were exchanged and done in darkness) and I pray that this clinic becomes renowned not for quality of treatment but avarice and unquenchable greed. DAYLIGHT ROBBERY and GOONS at work.

This has anguished me so much, AFTER ALL MY HOME, that I wrote to PMO, Chennai based journalists on Print and Electronic media, Ministry of Urban Development and even to Mohandas Pai in desperation (incidentally he was the only one who responded). I will not all this fellow to go scotfree in my attempt to save my home.

Tags: Apollo Hospital, Land grabbing, Karthic Babu Natarajan, Corruption, Besant Nagar, Synapse Knee & Spine Clinic, Daylight Robbery, Greed, Avarice.

KARTHIC BABU NATARAJAN, VANMATHY, KOSYGAN at SYNAPSE PAIN & SPINE CLINIC, M-90/1, 7th Avenue, Besant Nagar.