1. Results and Trends Take Ruling Party By Surprise
The initial trends and results of the rural local bodies (RLBs) in 27 districts appear to have taken the ruling AIADMK by surprise. After losing narrowly in the Vellore Parliamentary election and recording success in the byelections to the Nanguneri and Vikravandi Assembly constituencies, the party had hoped to get an overwhelming mandate in the polls to the RLBs.
Besides, the popular perception prior to polling was that the AIADMK was well-prepared to meet the elections, whereas the DMK was a reluctant entrant and had devoted its time and energy largely to filing case after case against the elections. A senior functionary of the ruling party explained that the organisation was under the impression that the decision not to conduct the polls to all local bodies – rural and urban – would be beneficial to its prospects as the party’s vote base was greater in rural areas than in urban ones.
(Source: The Hindu)
2. Chennai Police Commissioner Should Apologise: Anti-CAA Activists in TN
"Do the people require police permission to draw 'kolam'? Can an improper reading of a research paper be the basis of police speculating her connection with Pakistan?" This was the refrain of lawyer Gayatri Khandhadai, who was booked for drawing kolam in protest against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and National Register of Citizens (NRC) at Besant Nagar in Chennai.
Addressing newspersons here, Gayatri said that the police had not read the report properly. She said that she has been working for human rights for years and had published a report on the sufferings of minorities in nine Asian countries including Pakistan for 'Bytes for All', an NGO.
(Source: The New Indian Express)
3. Shore North of Adyar Eroding Fast: IIT-M Study
The shoreline north of the Adyar river’s mouth, including near Srinivasapuram, is eroding with every passing year, according to a study on shoreline change analysis by IIT-Madras. On an average, a two-km stretch of coastline, particularly near Srinivasapuram, is eroding at the rate of one to five metres every year.
The study had surveyed the extent of erosion between Chennai port and Palavakkam, for a distance of 15 km. Taking the shoreline during 1990 as the baseline for the study, the Department of Ocean Engineering, IIT-Madras, had observed the shoreline oscillation in 303 transects at an interval of 80 metres.
(Source: The Hindu)
4. Minor Attempts Suicide After Sexual Assault Attempt
The city police arrested a 23-year-old man for allegedly attempting to sexually harass a minor girl. The suspect Abdul Basheer was a house painter and worked with the victim’s father.
“In the wee hours of Wednesday, the man visited the victim’s house and tried to misbehave with the 17-year-old girl. When she resisted, he slapped her and fled. Dejected, the girl reportedly attempted suicide by drinking varnish,” said a police officer. A neighbour rushed her to a government hospital. Based on the victim’s statement, all-women police registered a case and arrested the suspect.
(Source: The New Indian Express)
5. TASMAC Has a Muted New Year
The Tamil Nadu State Marketing Corporation Limited, popularly known as Tasmac, sold liquor worth Rs 150 crore on New Year’s eve. A day before that, on December 30, when polling was held in some rural local bodies, the State-run liquor marketer clocked sales of Rs 92 crore. In 2018, Tasmac saw its sales numbers touch Rs 130 crore on December 31. On December 30, the sales figure stood at Rs 113 crore.
A source in Tasmac said that sales on two days – December 30 and 31 -- were somewhat flat, compared to last year. “The reason is, it was a dry day in many parts of Tamil Nadu due to the local body polls. Shops in areas which went to polls opened late in the evening only.” A look at the cumulative data for December 30 and December 31 shows that the revenue this year was Rs 242 crore against Rs 243 crore in 2018. A year before that, in 2017 the revenue had touched Rs 230.52 crore.
(Source: The Hindu)
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