When she was last chief minister of Tamil Nadu during 2001-2006, every one of J Jayalalithaa?s public appearances was accompanied by much fanfare, every event celebrated with pomp. This time around, impatient to unveil welfare programmes and development schemes, Jayalalithaa is cutting out the ceremony. So, there are no lamps being lit, no ribbons being cut. Instead, the chief minister has switched to inaugurations via video conferencing. Whether it?s a flyover, a college, a power substation, a canteen for policemen or housing for tsunami-hit people, Jayalalithaa is launching every venture with the click of a button. All from the air-conditioned comfort of her office in Fort St George.
Technology is helping save time and money; the chief minister inaugurated as many as nine arts and science colleges on a single day as also a new bus service in her constituency, Srirangam. On another day, she inaugurated 15 flyovers across the state, including the Vandalur flyover built at a cost of R27 crore. Last month, 35 new bridges across Tamil Nadu, built at a cost of R172 crore, were thrown open all on one day. On the same day, the chief minister ensured that the Thuraiyur bypass road in Tiruchy district was also open for use.
The use of a video conferencing facility has saved the chief minister from travel across the state. No one?s complaining; officials who, in the past, were busy organising gala events are now spending their time more productively.
In late April this year, while inaugurating the Cinema Centenary Complex of the South Indian Film Chamber of Commerce, the former film actor simultaneously laid the foundation stone for the second phase of the project. Not just that, she also the inaugurated the memorial of Col John Pennycuick, the late British engineer who built the Mullaiperiyar dam. She also made sure that 16 sub-stations and four upgraded sub-stations of the TNEB, were up and running. She also found time to open government offices in Kanyakumari and Dindigul.