QChennai: TN CM, Stalin May Discuss Cauvery Issue Today & More
Here is your roundup of the top stories from Chennai.
1. CM Edappadi K Palaniswami May Meet M K Stalin Today
Heralding healthy political trend in Tamil Nadu, Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami is likely to receive Opposition Leader MK Stalin on Saturday in his chamber in the Secretariat for the second time in two months to evolve a consensus on the state’s stand on the sensitive Cauvery river water issue.
The meeting was scheduled after Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah announced that he would hold consultations with leaders of all political parties in the state on 7 March to press the Union Government not to rush with the constitution of the Cauvery Management Board.
(Source: Deccan Chronicle)
2. Church Backs St Joseph’s Hospice
Standing by Fr RV Thomas and St Joseph’s Hospice, from where inmates were moved out recently, the Catholic Church and the Tamil Nadu Bishops’ Council are planning to protest in the city on Monday.
In his message to priests, Rev Fr SJ Anthonysamy, vicar general of the Archdiocese of Madras Mylapore, requested them to inform their parishes during the mass on Sunday about the protest being organised jointly with the Diocese of Chingleput near the State Guest House at Chepauk on Monday.
He requested them to encourage participation from their parishioners. The Tamil Nadu Bishops’ Council is aware of the protest. “What Fr Thomas was doing in Paleswaram was humanitarian and there is a need for the whole truth to come out,” Rev Fr L Sahayaraj, deputy secretary general of Tamil Nadu Bishops’ Council said.
(Source: The Hindu)
3. Fake Claims Cost Northern Railway Rs 1.5 Crore
The Ministry of Railways has detected a fraud in Northern Railway where “ghost employees” were created to claim Travelling Allowance, Over Time Allowance and Night Duty Allowance by manipulating the Pay Roll Computerised System.
After uncovering the fraud, which resulted in the misappropriation of funds to the tune of Rs 1.5 crore, the Railway Board has written to all zonal general managers to conduct a scrutiny of pay roll records from 2016 onwards to check the possibility of similar irregularities having been committed. The emphasis of the scrutiny should specifically be on TA, OTA and NDA and arrears, railway sources said here on Friday.
(Source: The Hindu)
4. New Court Complex in Egmore Will Be Ready by Month-End
The Metropolitan Magistrate Courts in Egmore complex sport a new look and will be functional by this month-end. The Public Works Department (PWD) has completed nearly 95 percent of the project to construct a five-storey building on the premises on Adithanar Salai. Work began two years ago, and the courts have been functioning out of the Allikulam Moore market complex since.
The new building, spread over 71,200 sq ft, will have a waiting room for visitors, a dedicated space for the Egmore Bar Association, toilet blocks and will also include disabled-friendly features, such as ramps. There are plans to have a bank branch and post office once the courts start functioning.
(Source: The Hindu)
5. Boy Falls into School’s Septic Tank, Dies
A four-year-old boy died after he fell into a septic tank at a private school in Ayyapanthangal on Friday. According to the police, Keerthiswaran, 4, was the son of Mohan, a daily wager residing at Ayyapanthangal. He was studying in LKG at the Masi Matriculation School.
“During investigation, we found that the school had hired a plumber to check the septic tank. He was carrying out works and during lunch, he left the tank open and went outside,” said an investigating officer. The child fell into the open septic tank. His friends alerted the teachers, who pulled him out and rushed him to a nearby hospital, where he was declared dead on arrival.
(Source: The Hindu)
6. Travelator at Airport by Month-End
After a protracted delay, the Chennai airport will finally have a travelator, connecting the two terminals and the Metro Rail station, and it will be operational by the end of the month. The work began only in November last year, nearly seven years after it was proposed.
At present, a part of the work to link the Metro Rail station with the domestic terminal is ready, officials said. “Now, the installation work is on to connect the domestic with the international terminal and should be complete in two weeks. After that, once the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) personnel are deployed, this will be thrown open for use,” an official said. When it is ready, Metro Rail commuters have to reach the concourse level (the area where tickets are sold) that has a connecting pathway where the travelator is located; it will take them to the domestic or the international terminals on either side.
(Source: The Hindu)
7. Trains Bring Gutka Illegally into Chennai
The Delhi-Kanyakumari Thirukkural bi-weekly express is scheduled to stop at Madurai junction for only five minutes but for at least the past three years it has been stopping for 15-25 minutes without sanction. This extra period, a recent vigilance raid has found, was used to unload a few smokeless tobacco products, mainly gutka, that are banned in the state.
The vigilance raid has unearthed yet another modus operandi for bringing edible tobacco products into the state from the north. Last week, the Chennai police seized 2,400kg of gutka from the Chennai container terminal. The package was being smuggled from Delhi.
(Source: Times of India)
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