QChennai: Truckers Continue Strike; Smart City Projects Expedited
Here is your roundup of the top stories from Chennai.
1. Smart City Projects to Be Put on Fast Track
After completing just three projects under the Smart Cities Mission in the past few years, the Chennai Corporation is set to kickstart at least 33 projects over the year. On Tuesday, Chennai Corporation finalised the areas for a pilot project on smart parking management — Second Avenue and Shanthi Colony in Anna Nagar, Second Avenue in Besant Nagar and Marina Beach. “The pilot project will begin this week,” said an official.
After the Union government launched the Smart Cities Mission in 2015, the civic body was able to commission a mobile phone-based grievance redressal system ‘Namma Chennai App’ at a cost of Rs 9.5 lakh. It also established 28 smart classrooms at a cost of Rs 1.75 crore and converted 1,772 sodium vapour lamps to energy-saving LED lights at a cost of Rs 3.44 crore.
(Source: The Hindu)
2. Truckers’ Strike Against Rising Fuel Prices Enters Second Day
The ongoing truckers’ strike against rising fuel cost and toll charges continued for the second consecutive day on Tuesday, affecting the movement of goods to other states. As the lorry operators are yet to be called for talks by the Centre, members of the All India Confederation of Goods Vehicle Owners Association plan to continue their nationwide strike.
According to Tamil Nadu Lorry Owners’ Federation president R Sugumar, the number of lorries participating in the strike had grown to three lakh vehicles. They are planning to hold an executive committee meeting on Wednesday. More lorry operators, including those transporting essential commodities such as milk and petroleum products, will decide on joining the strike by Wednesday. This would increase the number of lorries staying off the roads to four lakh, Sugumar said.
(Source: The Hindu)
3. Marina Beach Sees Most Drownings in the State
With Marina beach continuing to see a spate of drowning deaths, the Coastal Security Group (CSG) of the Tamil Nadu police is gearing up to secure the coastline by putting up watch towers and deploying lifeguards in the coming months. Till 31 May, five people lost their lives on the beach. The number was 19 in 2017 and 40 in 2016.
“Drowning is a major concern for us. It happens mostly in places that have tourist attraction spots near the sea. Though the city police and fishermen are trying to prevent drowning, visitors sneak into the sea,” said a CSG source. The official confirmed that the CSG in coordination with the tourism department would be setting up watch towers, deploying more boats and lifeguards across the coastline to make beaches more secure.
(Source: The Hindu)
4. HC: Why No Case When CJ Trolled?
Hinting at trouble for those on social media who trolled Chief Justice of the Madras High Court Justice Indira Banerjee for her views on the 18 MLAs’ disqualification case, Justice N Kirubakaran on Tuesday directed the police to file a report on action taken against such posts. A judgment can be a subject matter of discussion but not a judge, Kirubakaran said, asking the government advocate present why the police did not register cases against those who made derogatory remarks against the Chief Justice for upholding the speaker’s order disqualifying the 18 MLAs.
“If such comments were posted against any of the ministers you might have taken immediate action and arrested the persons,” the judge said, heading a division bench.
The court then directed the police to file a report on the action taken by 25 June.
(Source: The Times Of India)
5. None to Care for Mentally Ill Child, Dad Murders Boy
Ten days after the disfigured body of a youth was recovered from the railway tracks in Thiruvottiyur, the police on Tuesday identified him as Mohammed Hussain, 21, and found his father had killed him. Nawazuddin, 49, told investigators he had stabbed his mentally ill son because he believed no one would take care of him.
In his confessional, the samosa seller from Ambedkar Nagar Second Street said on 8 June he took his son Hussain for a walk to the railway tracks near their residence. Once there, he slit the young man’s throat with a knife and returned home. Nawazuddin told his wife Zarina Begum and their neighbours and that he had admitted the youth to a home in Coimbatore.
(Source: The Times Of India)
6. Special Court Summons PC’s Family in Black Money Case
A special court for economic offences cases here has summoned former Union minister P Chidambaram’s wife, son and daughter-in-law to appear on 25 June in connection with the prosecution initiated by the income tax department under the Black Money Act. The chief metropolitan magistrate court at Egmore ordered summons to Nalini Chidambaram, Karti Chidambaram and Srinidhi on Tuesday, on the complaint filed by the I-T department for alleged non-disclosure of overseas assets under Section 50 of the Black Money (Undisclosed Foreign Income and Assets) and Imposition of Tax Act.
According to the I-T department, the three had failed to disclose a property they jointly own in Cambridge, UK, worth Rs 5.37 crore. Apart from this, the department has alleged that Karti had failed to disclose an overseas bank account he holds with Metro Bank in the UK and investments he had made in Nano Holdings LLC, USA.
(Source: The Times Of India)
7. Tamil Nadu Oppn Slams Karnataka on Cauvery
The recalcitrant attitude of the Karnataka government in not naming its member on the Cauvery Management Authority, despite the Centre's order based on the Supreme Court directive, has come in for sharp criticism from the Opposition parties in Tamil Nadu, with PMK chief Dr S Ramadoss going to the extent of demanding the dismissal of the HD Kumaraswamy government.
The TN parties and their leaders have been livid with the statements made by the Karnakataka CM Kumaraswamy and his father Deve Gowda that the issue of sharing of Cauvery waters could be resolved through talks between the governments of the riparian states – which effectively meant throwing into dustbin the Cauvery Management Authority (CMA) and the Cauvery Water Regulation Committee (CWRC) constituted by the Centre following the Supreme Court direction.
(Source: Deccan Chronicle)
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