The State Government has chosen 3i Infotech to set up Common Service Centres (CSC) in four of the five zones in Tamil Nadu to provide internet facility as well as Government to Citizen (G2C) services.
Other players in the race were Reliance Communications, India Cements, CMS Computers and SREI-Wipro.
This is the second order for 3i Infotech after securing the Haryana Government order for 322 CSCs in Gurgaon.
In Tamil Nadu, it will set up over 4,400 of the 5,440 CSCs, except in the north east zone. The service provider for Vellore, Krishnagiri, Dharmapuri, and Tiruvannamalai will be selected soon. These CSCs will serve as a single window service delivery channel for providing government services of Taluk Offices, Collectorates, Registration Department, Transport Department, Civil Supplies Department and Municipalities.
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Thursday, January 3, 2008
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.
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.
Wednesday, January 2, 2008
Encroachments stall road expansion
A project to widen CSIR Road, which serves as a crucial link from Velachery and Taramani to the Rajiv Gandhi Salai (IT Corridor), has hit a roadblock with the Chennai Corporation finding it difficult to remove the encroachments in the way.
The widening project, at an estimated cost of Rs.2 crore, is expected to reduce the travel time for motorists from Velachery and Taramani to the IT Corridor and Thiruvanmiyur.
A number of leading IT firms and premier research institutions, including those of the Central government, are located on CSIR Road. The road also houses the Taramani bus terminus, one of the few such facilities in a radius of several km. CSIR Road also contributes immensely to decongesting the IT Corridor.
A Corporation official said the widening work has been stopped as those who have encroached upon the road have raised objection to the proposed demolition of their shops and houses. They have sought time to vacate the place. But the encroachments would be removed soon to facilitate completion of the work, he said.
On completion of the work on the 1.4-kilometre stretch, CSIR Road would be 60 feet wide with a 5-foot-wide stormwater drain network on either side and a median.
The widening project, at an estimated cost of Rs.2 crore, is expected to reduce the travel time for motorists from Velachery and Taramani to the IT Corridor and Thiruvanmiyur.
A number of leading IT firms and premier research institutions, including those of the Central government, are located on CSIR Road. The road also houses the Taramani bus terminus, one of the few such facilities in a radius of several km. CSIR Road also contributes immensely to decongesting the IT Corridor.
A Corporation official said the widening work has been stopped as those who have encroached upon the road have raised objection to the proposed demolition of their shops and houses. They have sought time to vacate the place. But the encroachments would be removed soon to facilitate completion of the work, he said.
On completion of the work on the 1.4-kilometre stretch, CSIR Road would be 60 feet wide with a 5-foot-wide stormwater drain network on either side and a median.
Civil Supplies to sell cement
In an attempt to make available cement at an affordable rate, the State Government on Wednesday decided that the retail sale would be carried out without any profit margin through the Civil Supplies Corporation’s godowns.
One lakh tonnes of cement would be imported immediately for sale through the corporation. Over 200 corporation godowns located in different parts of the State would store the imported cement. The import would be done by the MMTC for which the Cements Corporation would place an order.
An official release issued after a high-level meeting chaired by the Chief Minister at the Secretariat stated that the State Government would have no option but to take over private cement factories situated in the State in the “interests of the public” if manufacturers did not bring down prices after the Government had made several efforts to contain them. A senior government official said exclusive compartments would be created at the godowns to store the cement. The Civil Supplies Corporation had the experience in retail sale of cement in 1984-1990 when the commodity was available under controlled conditions.
One lakh tonnes of cement would be imported immediately for sale through the corporation. Over 200 corporation godowns located in different parts of the State would store the imported cement. The import would be done by the MMTC for which the Cements Corporation would place an order.
An official release issued after a high-level meeting chaired by the Chief Minister at the Secretariat stated that the State Government would have no option but to take over private cement factories situated in the State in the “interests of the public” if manufacturers did not bring down prices after the Government had made several efforts to contain them. A senior government official said exclusive compartments would be created at the godowns to store the cement. The Civil Supplies Corporation had the experience in retail sale of cement in 1984-1990 when the commodity was available under controlled conditions.
Tuesday, January 1, 2008
Police get tough with boisterous revellers
In the hours leading to the New Year since Monday evening, the police booked 150 cases for overspeeding, charged 125 drivers with drunk driving and registered 30 cases of rash and negligent driving.
In many places, boisterous revellers gave anxious moments to the public and police. Uneasy calm prevailed in and around the Elliots Beach, as some youths indulged in rash driving. In Besant Nagar, the police resorted to mild lathicharge to restore order after a group of people turned unruly.
A group of riders damaged public properties, including traffic signboards, a police booth and a few mobile barricades in the area.
Traffic police at various locations, including Teynampet, Pantheon Road and near the Thiruvanmiyur bus stand, said that they imposed fines on two-wheeler riders for drunk driving. “We detained two-wheeler riders for a few hours and let them off after sometime,” an officer said.
The tight vigil till 5 am on Tuesday ensured that there was no accident, said Additional Commissioner of Police (Traffic) Sunil Kumar.
Commissioner of Police G. Nanchil Kumaran told The Hindu that the presence of policemen and officers till Tuesday morning enabled in regulating crowd at places of worship.
In many places, boisterous revellers gave anxious moments to the public and police. Uneasy calm prevailed in and around the Elliots Beach, as some youths indulged in rash driving. In Besant Nagar, the police resorted to mild lathicharge to restore order after a group of people turned unruly.
A group of riders damaged public properties, including traffic signboards, a police booth and a few mobile barricades in the area.
Traffic police at various locations, including Teynampet, Pantheon Road and near the Thiruvanmiyur bus stand, said that they imposed fines on two-wheeler riders for drunk driving. “We detained two-wheeler riders for a few hours and let them off after sometime,” an officer said.
The tight vigil till 5 am on Tuesday ensured that there was no accident, said Additional Commissioner of Police (Traffic) Sunil Kumar.
Commissioner of Police G. Nanchil Kumaran told The Hindu that the presence of policemen and officers till Tuesday morning enabled in regulating crowd at places of worship.
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.
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.
Tamil lawmaker’s killer detained, injured in retaliatory firing
The New Year dawned on the island nation on an inauspicious note with a United National Party (UNP) parliamentarian, T. Maheswaran, being killed in broad daylight by an unidentified gunman inside a temple at 10 a.m. on the outskirts of Colombo.
Mr. Maheswaran was shot at close range as he was coming out of the temple after offering prayers. A security officer of the MP was also killed and 12 others were injured in the incident.
The police claimed to have arrested the assailant, who was wounded in retaliatory firing by the personal security officer of the MP. The police identified the suspect as a resident of Gurunagar in Jaffna and said he is under close custody of police and receiving treatment at the National hospital in Colombo. However, the name of the detained man was not released.
Mr. Maheswaran, a former Minister and Colombo district UNP parliamentarian, was a vocal critic of the alleged human rights violations by the military and para-military groups. The UNP had accused the government of exposing Mr. Maheswaran to danger by scaling down his security despite innumerable requests.
A report posted on the Defence Ministry web site, however, sought to refute the charges. “Meanwhile, expressing views to defence.lk, a political analyst said the immediate arrest of the gunman has dismantled attempts of opposition party and pro-LTTE agents to cast doubts on the killing of Mr. Maheswaran.”
Expressing shock over the killing, President Mahinda Rajapaksa told a gathering of employees of the President’s office that despite “political differences” the two of them (Mr. Maheswaran and the President) remained friends.
Mr. Maheswaran was shot at close range as he was coming out of the temple after offering prayers. A security officer of the MP was also killed and 12 others were injured in the incident.
The police claimed to have arrested the assailant, who was wounded in retaliatory firing by the personal security officer of the MP. The police identified the suspect as a resident of Gurunagar in Jaffna and said he is under close custody of police and receiving treatment at the National hospital in Colombo. However, the name of the detained man was not released.
Mr. Maheswaran, a former Minister and Colombo district UNP parliamentarian, was a vocal critic of the alleged human rights violations by the military and para-military groups. The UNP had accused the government of exposing Mr. Maheswaran to danger by scaling down his security despite innumerable requests.
A report posted on the Defence Ministry web site, however, sought to refute the charges. “Meanwhile, expressing views to defence.lk, a political analyst said the immediate arrest of the gunman has dismantled attempts of opposition party and pro-LTTE agents to cast doubts on the killing of Mr. Maheswaran.”
Expressing shock over the killing, President Mahinda Rajapaksa told a gathering of employees of the President’s office that despite “political differences” the two of them (Mr. Maheswaran and the President) remained friends.
227 Indians died during Haj
As many as 221 Indian pilgrims died during the Haj this year due to natural causes, while six others were killed in road accidents.
An Indian official said that India had sent 1.57 lakh pilgrims that included 1.1 lakh who came through the Haj Committee of India and while the rest arrived through the travel operators from various Indian cities.
Suhel Ajaz Khan, the Indian Haj consul, said that so far around 20,000 pilgrims who came through the Haj committee had left.
Some 86 Indian pilgrims are still in hospitals receiving treatment for various aliments, he was quoted as saying in Arab News.
Indonesians, followed by Indians, top the list of pilgrims who died during Haj this year.
The Indonesian Consulate General in Jeddah announced 317 pilgrims had died in the holy cities of Makkah and Madinah.
According to a report from the Central Haj Committee in Makkah, most of the deaths during the pilgrimage were due to natural causes.
The report said that 778 traffic accidents were reported during the season. Overall 11,700 pilgrims were admitted to different hospitals due to accidents and various illnesses, out of which 10,900 were discharged.
More than 800 pilgrims are still recuperating in hospitals.
An Indian official said that India had sent 1.57 lakh pilgrims that included 1.1 lakh who came through the Haj Committee of India and while the rest arrived through the travel operators from various Indian cities.
Suhel Ajaz Khan, the Indian Haj consul, said that so far around 20,000 pilgrims who came through the Haj committee had left.
Some 86 Indian pilgrims are still in hospitals receiving treatment for various aliments, he was quoted as saying in Arab News.
Indonesians, followed by Indians, top the list of pilgrims who died during Haj this year.
The Indonesian Consulate General in Jeddah announced 317 pilgrims had died in the holy cities of Makkah and Madinah.
According to a report from the Central Haj Committee in Makkah, most of the deaths during the pilgrimage were due to natural causes.
The report said that 778 traffic accidents were reported during the season. Overall 11,700 pilgrims were admitted to different hospitals due to accidents and various illnesses, out of which 10,900 were discharged.
More than 800 pilgrims are still recuperating in hospitals.
Ashok Leyland to launch ALTRUX in more states
Terming as a 'thumping success' its pre-owned trux business "ALTURX", heavy vehicle maker Ashok Leyland Limited, the flagship company of the Hinduja Group, plans to extend it across the country.
The pre-owned trux business, wherein used Ashok Leyland vehicles would be purchased from the market, re-conditioned and sold by the company with a six month guarantee, had been a thumping success in Rajasthan, Kerala and Tamil Nadu, Special Director, Customer Support Group, V M Homabli said here on Tuesday.
The company registered an annual turnover of Rs.331 crores by way of selling original spare parts in 2006-07 and the target for the current fiscal was Rs.450 crores.
The pre-owned trux business, wherein used Ashok Leyland vehicles would be purchased from the market, re-conditioned and sold by the company with a six month guarantee, had been a thumping success in Rajasthan, Kerala and Tamil Nadu, Special Director, Customer Support Group, V M Homabli said here on Tuesday.
The company registered an annual turnover of Rs.331 crores by way of selling original spare parts in 2006-07 and the target for the current fiscal was Rs.450 crores.
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