1. 'Breathing Air of Freedom After 106 Days': Chidambaram Out of Jail
Former Finance Minister P Chidambaram walked out of Tihar Jail on Wednesday evening, 4 December, after over 100 days in custody. Post his release, Chidambaram and his son Karti paid a visit to Congress Interim president Sonia Gandhi at her residence. This comes after the Supreme Court earlier on Wednesday granted bail to him in the INX Media money laundering case.
He will be attending the Parliament session on Thursday, his son Karti Chidambaram has said. On 29 November, a special court granted interim bail to all six bureaucrats who were part of the Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB) which granted approval to INX Media during Congress leader P Chidambaram’s tenure as finance minister.
2. Raw Sewage Leads to Toxic Foaming of Beaches
Chennai beaches spewing snow-like foam at an unprecedented level, has compelled the State government to ask for a report from Tamil Nadu Pollution Board (TNPCB), which, after detailed analysis of samples collected, has indicated that illegal letting out of untreated sewage into Adyar river has led to ‘toxic’ algal bloom. This, in turn, resulted in accumulation of phosphates which possess foaming properties under wave action.
The report, shows that levels of dissolved phosphate, ammonia, nitrogen and total dissolved solids (TDS) are on the higher side. The TNPCB officials collected two seawater samples on 29 November evening, a day after foaming started. One sample was collected 500 metres away from the confluence point of Adyar river into sea and another sample 1 km away. The exercise was repeated again on 3 October as the foaming continued along the city beaches.
(Source: The New Indian Express)
3. Onion Prices Touch an All Time High
Onion prices have touched an all-time high in the city, with one kg of the vegetable being sold for Rs 140 at the Koyambedu wholesale market. A further dip in arrivals at the market has led to the sharp jump in prices, say traders. The Koyambedu wholesale market usually receives nearly 50% of its onions from Nashik and the rest from Telangana and Karnataka. However, now the market receives onions mainly from Telangana and Karnataka. It is getting only 20% of the supplies from Nashik, which has led to shortfalls.
Traders said a 50-kg bag of onions is being sold for Rs 6,500 to Rs 7,000. The market is receiving only 35 truckloads of onions instead of the usual 80 loads daily. Each truck comes with nearly 20 tonnes of onions. P Sukumar, treasurer, Koyambedu Vegetables, Fruits and Flowers Merchants Welfare Association, said the continuous dip in arrivals has led to the hike in prices.
(Source: The Hindu)
4. 759 Cysts Removed from Woman's Abdomen
Doctors at Saveetha Medical College and Hospital, removed 759 cysts from the abdomen of a 29-year-old woman from Sriperumbudur on 9 July.
The woman had come to the hospital with complaints of abdominal pain, difficulty in breathing and eating. The doctors found four large cysts in her abdomen. Inside the large cysts, there were small cysts. Dr Sundaravadanan, general surgeon, of the hospital, said on Wednesday, “We did a CT scan and ultrasound and found four large cysts. The size of the cysts ranged from 10x15 cm, 10x10cm, 10x7cm and 10x5 cm. They occupied 50% of the abdomen space and were pressing the liver, bile duct, left kidney, large intestine, urinary bladders and large blood vessels of the right lower limbs.”
(Source: The New Indian Express)
5. TN Gets Pat on the Back for Transplant Record
In a year that saw organ donations dip in the State, Tamil Nadu, for the fifth consecutive year, received an award from the National Organ and Tissue Transplant Organisation (NOTTO). It was not about the number of organ donations this year. Officials say the State, while maintaining maximum utilisation of organs, was also focusing on transplant outcomes and data compilation. According to Transplant Authority of Tamil Nadu (TRANSTAN) data, the State has had 1,326 deceased donors from 2008 till date. A total of 7,783 organs, including 4,712 major organs such as heart, lungs, liver and kidneys, were donated.
“This year, NOTTO sought three-year donor generation and organ utilisation data from TRANSTAN. TN is now not only focusing on organ donations but also organ utilisation, post-transplant outcomes and data collection. While announcing the award for the State, the reasons listed out by NOTTO were data compilation, online registrations and post-transplant data,” an official said.
(Source: The Hindu)
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