With new additions, MTC fleet strength up to 3060

With Chief Minister M.Karunanidhi flagging off new buses on Thursday, the Metropolitan Transport Corporation (MTC) has increased its fleet strength to 3,060 from 2,775.
Following the addition, the MTC will operate 83 new buses on 36 new routes, including those to Chengalpattu from T.Nagar and Mandaveli. Its operational area has been extended from 40 to 50 km, directly connecting important areas in the suburbs, according to a press release.
The new routes are in response to demands from commuters. Recently, the MTC held a meeting with commuters and their associations. It received more than 1,180 petitions seeking new routes.
As many as 42 of the new buses will be used to augment services on some of the existing routes. The MTC aims to operate 4,000 buses in the near future, the release stated.
Efforts are on to set up a Transport Academy for training employees. The Transport Department will speed up the process of obtaining funds from the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM) for the sector, authorities say.
During 2006-07, 379 new buses were introduced and in 2007-08 (till January), 1,036 buses were inducted into the MTC fleet, the release said.

Stage collapse: one dies

A 23-year-old youth, injured when a stage set up over a swimming pool in Hotel Savera on Radhakrishnan Salai collapsed on Monday, died in a hospital in the early hours of Tuesday.
The police registered cases under IPC Sections 304 A (causing death by negligence), 337 (causing hurt by act endangering life or personal safety of others) and 338 (causing grievous hurt) against the stage contractor Narendra Singh, event manager of the party Antony Michael, who was arrested, and the licensee, said Joint Commissioner of Police (South) G. Dorairaj.
The victim, Sumith Agnihothri, a native of Uttar Pradesh, was employed with a software firm in the city and was a resident of Vanni Amman Koil Street, Mogappair East.
He had gone to the hotel with his cousin and a few friends to celebrate the New Year. One of the persons who accompanied him, identified as Anand of K.K. Nagar, is in serious condition.
The incident brought to fore questions about safety concerning the arrangements made for such parties. The stage, covered with a wooden plank, atop the swimming pool, caved in around 11.20 p.m. even as several hundreds of young men and women were dancing on it.
Many of them, including those in an inebriated condition, landed with a thump in the swimming pool and struggled to come out. “No trained persons were made available by the event managers to rescue the victims from the pool even after 30 minutes,” a youth said.
Preliminary inquiries revealed that poor construction of the stage led to its collapse. An officer of the Fire and Rescue Services department who visited the spot on Tuesday said that it is not clear whether the licensee had obtained the mandatory stage stability certificate from the PWD department.Inadequate support of beams on both sides of the wooden plank contributed to the tragedy.
A Forensic Sciences expert said Sumith Agnihothri’s body had external injuries in the nostril and mouth. The body has been sent for post-mortem to the Government General Hospital.
Following the incident chaos prevailed in the hotel for at least two hours with many youths demanding refund of the money from the authorities or continuation of the celebrations.
Police personnel forcibly removed a few youths from the premises with the support of the hotel staff.

Rain toll climbs to 38 in State

CHENNAI: Five people died in three separate rain-related incidents in the State since Wednesday evening, taking the death toll in the last three days to 38.
While Dindigul and Tiruchi lost two persons each, one died in Coimbatore. With this, as many as 16 districts have reported at least one rain related death, with Tiruchi reporting the maximum number – 6.
Standing crops on about 72,000 hectares are under a sheet of water, according to the Commissioner, Revenue Administration, Sakthikanta Das. As much as 90 per cent of this inundated crop is paddy and, if the rain subsides, the water is expected to run off in the next two days.

Karunanidhi, Achuthanandan to discuss Mullaperiyar dam issue

Prime Minister requested Karunanidhi to hold talks
Report on desalination plants to be submitted soon

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi on Tuesday said that he would meet Kerala Chief Minister V.S. Achuthanandan with a view to resolving the Mullaperiyar dam dispute.
Talking to journalists after meeting Prime Minister Manmohan Singh soon after his arrival in the capital, Mr. Karunanidhi said the Prime Minister requested him to hold talks with Kerala Chief Minister to resolve the issue. He said, “I had told the Prime Minister that the talks held earlier as per the directions of the Supreme Court did not yield the desired results. But the Prime Minister said that there was nothing wrong in having another round of talks. I had accepted the request in the fond hope that a solution would emerge from the talks.”

Centre ‘careful’ about LTTE movements

The Centre is “careful” about the movements of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam not only in Tamil Nadu but also elsewhere in the country, said National Security Advisor M.K. Narayanan here on Monday.
Addressing mediapersons after meeting Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi at his Gopalapuram residence, Mr. Narayanan ruled out joint patrolling with the Sri Lankan Navy in the Indian Ocean. There was only coordinated patrolling, with India and Sri Lanka doing patrolling in their respective areas.
Complimenting the State government for effectively tackling the naxalite problem, Mr. Narayanan said Tamil Nadu had dealt with the issue much better than other States. Describing his meeting with the Chief Minister as a courtesy call, Mr. Narayanan said he had discussions about the National Development Council (NDC) meeting convened by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on December 19 and a conference of Chief Ministers on internal security on December 20.
He had extended an invitation to the Chief Minister on behalf of the Prime Minister and he had agreed to attend the meeting, he said.
Chief Secretary L.K. Tripathy and Home Secretary S. Malathi were present.

Sathish is Chennai’s Superstar

Icy winds swept the Tau Devi Lal Stadium here but Chennai Superstars warmed the hearts of their supporters with a show that lit up the venue even though the finish was anti-climatic.
Superstars won by 93 runs and stormed into the final of the Indian Cricket League.
It was a truly team effort by the Superstars but R. Sathish was an exceptional performer, lifting the spirits of the team with a brilliant 51 and then an incisive spell pushed Kolkata Tigers on the back foot.
Ian Harvey, Thiru Kumaran, Tamil Kumaran and Sathish took two wickets each after a superb opening spell by Shabbir Ahmed to cap a wonderful performance by Superstars.

Continuance of alliance depends on DMK’s attitude: Ramadoss

The continuance of the Pattali Makkal Katchi’s alliance with the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam depends upon the DMK’s attitude, S. Ramadoss, PMK founder, said on Friday.
Reiterating that there was no change in his party’s position vis-À-vis the DMK, Dr. Ramadoss said that while his party would continue to support the ruling DMK regime, it would also function as a constructive opposition party.
“The recent statements issued by Electricity Minister and DMK treasurer Arcot N. Veeraswami against me will have no bearing on the ties with the ruling party,” said the PMK leader.
Dr. Ramadoss earlier took a team of Chennai-based mediapersons around the site in Konerikuppam (about 110 km from Chennai) where the Vanniya Education Trust, founded by him, proposed to establish a group of colleges in different disciplines, including arts and science, engineering, law and medicine.
[This week, Dr. Ramadoss and Mr Veeraswami were engaged in a duel of words over the manner of land acquisition by the Trust.]
He asserted that the PMK would remain in the alliance comprising the Congress to fight the Lok Sabha elections.

Court case delays escalator bridge project in CHENNAI

The Chennai Corporation’s plans to construct foot overbridges with escalators are delayed due to a case pertaining to commercial hoardings pending before the Supreme Court.
The Corporation had announced that it would construct foot overbridges with escalators at three locations on Anna Salai (near SIET College, near Todd Hunter Nagar and near the Panagal Building) and one on Taluk Office Road in Saidapet.
Although a project developer has been identified through a tender process, there is a catch. The project developer was expected to generate funds for operation and maintenance of the escalators through advertisement revenue gained from hoardings on the bridge.
Corporation Commissioner Rajesh Lakhoni said the escalator bridge plan would only take off after the Supreme Court verdict in a case filed by hoarding owners associations in the State. The association had appealed against a Madras High Court order that upheld government rules on hoarding sizes and location.
The Corporation had invited bids for the project in July. Lakshaya Media, a private firm, had submitted the lowest bid. The bid has to be presented before the Council for approval and then sent to the State Government for clearance. The private firm would be required to employ a construction agency to build the escalator bridges and the work would be monitored by the Corporation.
At present, most foot overbridges receive little patronage from pedestrians. The steps are steep and beggars and anti-social elements occupy them. A woman trying to cross Haddows Road near Shastri Bhavan said she dare not take the overbridge as she once was almost attacked by two beggars.

9 held for selling gifted TV sets distributed by TN Govt

Nine persons were arrested on Tuesday for allegedly selling colour television sets distributed to poor families under a government scheme.
They were arrested on charges of extortion and threatening the beneficiaries.
The police seized 18 TV sets and impounded an autorickshaw and a four-wheeler that were allegedly used for selling the TV sets.
The arrests were made following media reports that free TVs were being bought and sold in the market by middlemen.
Speaking to reporters, Police Commissioner G. Nanchil Kumaran said the police raided a few locations and seized the TV sets from a shop on Ritchie Street and from two houses in Cherian Nagar and Ashok Nagar in New Washermenpet.
He said the police would closely watch people who indulged in threatening or wooing the beneficiaries to part with the television sets. The names of the accused are S. Selvi, B. Selvam, A. Askar Ali, John Basha and T.Selvaraj of New Washermenpet and P.Muralidharan, auto driver Gopalakrishnan, E. Vasu and K. Murugan of Egmore.

‘Sea Tiger,’ two aides arrested

CHENNAI: A ‘Sea Tiger’ was among the three persons arrested by the ‘Q’ branch of the Tamil Nadu police in the car parking area of the Chennai international airport terminal on Saturday.
The three were allegedly involved in the purchase of a boat for the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam.
According to the police, the special unit personnel detained three persons, James alias Raja (45) of Chinnakadai, Mannar, Sri Lanka, Jayakumar alias Gaurishankar (34) of Jaffna and Ravikumar (42) of Subbaraya Nagar, Choolaimedu, on suspicion. During questioning it was found that Jayakumar was a ‘Sea Tiger’ and had illegally come to India in February this year.
James had visited India three times this year on his passport, the last time in October.
He had allegedly smuggled out of the country computer spare parts, swimming pads and Global Positioning System (GPS) equipment for the LTTE by concealing them in beedi bundles.
About Rs.4.78 lakh and 4,140 Sri Lankan rupees were seized from him. Four mobile phones were seized from the arrested persons.
The police said investigation further revealed that Rs.4.78 lakh was meant for purchasing a boat for the Tigers from a person called Raji.
It is alleged that Ravikumar helped James in the purchase of essential items for the LTTE.

NIFT Chennai designs for Corporation staff uniforms

SET for change: The khaki clothes of Chennai Corporation employees will soon be replaced with NIFT-designed uniforms.
The National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT) has come up with a range of user-friendly and aesthetically designed uniforms for Chennai Corporation employees.

The Corporation had consulted the NIFT to design uniforms for employees, starting from the Corporation Commissioner to sanitary workers. The designs are almost ready, said P. Mohan Raj, NIFT course coordinator for fashion and textiles.

For sanitary workers, the NIFT designed grey uniforms that were easily washable. Instead of a regular shirt collar, the NIFT recommended a ‘mandarin’ collar that would allow sweat to easily evaporate. The full length trousers could be shortened, by folding it and fastening it with Velcro straps. The Corporation has also asked the NIFT to come up with a slogan for the Chennai Corporation and a logo that would be stitched on the uniforms.

Small paisley prints were likely to be chosen for saris for women, with mild colours for officers at a higher grade.

Chennai Airport project: land acquisition notices stayed

The operation of individual acquisition notices issued to owners of lands, identified for the Chennai Airport Expansion Project, was stayed by the Madras High Court on Wednesday.
Admitting the petition filed by 15 residents of Marvel Riverview County Phase II in Manapakkam, Justice P. Jyothimani issued notices to State Transport Secretary, Kancheepuram District Collector and Sriperumbudur tahsildar.

When the matter came up for admission on Wednesday, the Additional Government Pleader sought two weeks’ time to file counter. Granting time, the Judge said, “In the meantime there shall be an interim injunction.” The matter was adjourned to December 19 for further proceedings.The petition challenged the legislative competence of the State Government to initiate the acquisition proceedings when parliamentary legislations – the Aircraft Act and Airports Authority of India Act 1994 – had the exclusive jurisdiction for acquiring lands.

K.M. Vijayan, senior counsel for the petitioners, submitted that the Union Government was the appropriate authority to decide the place of airport and land acquisition for airport.
The petitioners, further, contended that the notices were issued under the Tamil Nadu Acquisition of Land for Industrial Purposes Act, and added that the Act was not applicable for the purpose of airport expansion.

Gas leak again; case registered

CHENNAI: For the second consecutive day on Wednesday, residents of north Chennai and other parts of the city complained of irritation in the eyes and a choking sensation due to inhalation of an acrid-smelling gas.

As the news spread, many educational institutions declared a holiday as a precautionary measure.

Based on a complaint received from a resident of Egmore, the Central Crime Branch police registered a case under IPC Sections 278 (making atmosphere noxious to health) and 284 (negligent conduct with respect to poisonous substance).

Speaking to reporters, Commissioner of Police G. Nanchil Kumaran said preliminary inquiries were conducted with several industrial units, including the Chennai Petroleum Corporation Limited at Manali. Whether any noxious gases had leaked from any of these facilities would be known after investigation

Health village for medicare, research coming up near Chennai

A health village is to be established in Elavur, near Chennai, to serve as the hub for medicare and medical research in South Asia. It is a joint venture between Frontier Lifeline Hospital and the Tamil Nadu Industrial Development Corporation (TIDCO).
A memorandum of understanding, formalising the Rs. 450-crore project, was signed by representatives of the organisations on Wednesday in the presence of Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi.
Frontier Lifeline was represented by its founding chairman K.M. Cherian, and TIDCO, by its Managing Director S. Ramasundaram.

Tamil Brahmi script in Egypt

A broken storage jar with inscriptions in Tamil Brahmi script has been excavated at Quseir-al-Qadim, an ancient port with a Roman settlement on the Red Sea coast of Egypt. This Tamil Brahmi script has been dated to first century B.C. One expert described this as an “exciting discovery.”
The same inscription is incised twice on the opposite sides of the jar. The inscription reads paanai oRi, that is, pot (suspended) in a rope net.
An archaeological team belonging to the University of Southampton in the U.K., comprising Prof. D. Peacock and Dr. L. Blue, who recently re-opened excavations at Quseir-al-Qadim in Egypt, discovered a fragmentary pottery vessel with inscriptions.
Dr. Roberta Tomber, a pottery specialist at the British Museum, London, identified the fragmentary vessel as a storage jar made in India.
Iravatham Mahadevan, a specialist in Tamil epigraphy, has confirmed that the inscription on the jar is in Tamil written in the Tamil Brahmi script of about first century B.C.