1. Amid Protests, Central Crime Branch Takes Over IIT-M Suicide Case
The case of the alleged suicide of IIT Madras student, Fathima Latheef, has been handed over to the Central Crime Branch and will now be investigated by a special committee, said the Chennai Commissioner on Thursday, 14 November.
The 19-year-old Kollam native, who is a first-year student at the Department of Humanities and Social Sciences at IIT Madras, was found hanging from the ceiling fan in her hostel room in IIT Madras, on 9 November. On Thursday, 14 November, the students submitted a petition to the institute’s director, demanding that the college set up a body of experts to look after the mental well-being of the students.
2. Transport Department Tackles Vehicular Pollution in Chennai
Deterioration in city air quality has put the focus back on vehicular pollution. Though the Motor Vehicles Act mandates that all vehicles that have spent over a year on road must obtain a pollution under control (PUC) certificate once every six months, it’s barely adhered to, due to lack of monitoring.
As per an official report last year, over 90 per cent of vehicles obtained pollution under control certificate only once in 2017. Presently, motorists are forced to produce emission certificate for their vehicles while obtaining driving licence, claiming insurance, modifying records of vehicle, including change of address, name change and other corrections.
(Source: The New Indian Express)
3. 'Policy Decisions Keep Changing As Per Whims of Party in Power'
The Madras High Court has lamented that policy decisions of the government keep changing as per the wishes of the political parties that capture power after every general election, and that such changes are made without considering the efficacy of those policies and their usefulness to the public.
A Division Bench of Justices N Kirubakaran and P Velmurugan made the observations while deciding on a writ appeal filed by a registered government civil contractor, challenging the award of contracts for maintenance of State highways by clubbing various works into a package worth Rs 5 crore to Rs 15 crore, and not individually.
(Source: The Hindu)
4. 'Hotline Crew' Prevents Power Cuts in Chennai
Tamil Nadu Transmission Corporation (TANTRANSCO) has now upgraded its equipment to conduct repair work on 400kW transmission stations without cutting off power supply.
For the first time on Thursday, officials from TANTRANSCO demonstrated how these operations are carried out, to State Electricity Minister P Thangamani at the transmission sub-station at Alamathy, Tiruvallur district from where supply to Chennai is made. In 1959, the State government first launched the ‘hotline crew’ which performed repair operations on live connections. However, such work was done only in relatively lower power distribution stations.
(Source: The New Indian Express)
5. Pets Now Have a Multi-Speciality Hospital
FMCG veteran C K Ranganathan has forayed into animal wellness industry by launching a new personal venture called Sanchu Animal Hospital, entailing investments to the tune of Rs 3 crore. He intends to open a nation-wide chain of 100 hospitals by 2024.
The hi-tech multi-specialty hospital at Adyar will offer services including dermatology, dentistry, surgery, orthopaedics, ophthalmology, physiotherapy and rehabilitation, as well as emergency and critical care services, round-the-clock, throughout the year. In addition, the hospital offers services like pet spa and salon, pet cab service, online access for pet records and pet super-market.
(Source: The Hindu)
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