1. It is for Party Seniors to Decide on Sasikala: OPS
Deputy Chief Minister and AIADMK coordinator O Panneerselvam on Thursday reiterated his position that it was for senior functionaries of the party to take a call on the question of re-admission of former interim general secretary V K Sasikala to the party.
In a recent interview to a Tamil television channel, Panneerselvam had stated that it was for the AIADMK senior functionaries to decide on taking back Sasikala into the party fold as and when she was released from the prison in Bengaluru where she is serving a four-year sentence in a corruption case. Since he had launched a ‘dharma yudham’ against Sasikala, his position on her possible re-entry had invited criticism from some quarters.
(Source: The Hindu)
2. Driver Held for Sexually Abusing 5-Year-Old Girl
A 55-year-old man was arrested for sexually assaulting a Class 1 girl while dropping her to her house from school on Tuesday. The arrested man, identified as Raja, a resident of ICF, was a van driver of a private school. Police said the five-year-old girl was the last one to be dropped.”On November 29, the parents took her to a pediatrician since she fell ill.
The doctor had informed the parents about sexual abuse after examination,” said police.A complaint was lodged at a police station and Raja was arrested. Preliminary investigation revealed that the man had abused the girl several times inside the van. He was held and remanded under judicial custody.
(Source: The New Indian Express)
3. Trend of Buying Meat Online Catches On
The number of consumers purchasing meat and seafood online has increased three-fold in the last two years in Chennai and across the State. Picking up cues from the big players in this space, even unorganised meat shop owners are creating websites and WhatsApp groups (to send out offers) from where customers can order. Those who can’t afford to maintain websites are offering doorstep deliveries for their regular customers.
Startups like Fipola, TenderCuts, Licious and FreshtoHome are attracting millennials to make purchases online. According to estimates by analysts who track the poultry industry, over a lakh people are now placing orders online. But of this, only 30-40% are repeat customers. On an average, the billing per purchase is anywhere between Rs. 500 and Rs. 1,000.
(Source: The Hindu)
4. Navy Plans Thoothukudi Base to Strengthen Gulf of Mannar
In a bid to bolster its activities in the Gulf of Mannar, the Indian Navy is planning to set up a forward operating base at Tuticorin. The establishment of a Navy Air Enclave at Tuticorin airport will complement the forward operating base, said Rear Admiral K J Kumar, Flag Officer Commanding, Tamil Nadu and Puducherry Naval area.
Governor Banwarilal Purohit participated in the Navy Day celebration that was held here on Wednesday. Kumar, while addressing the gathering, said the major Naval infrastructure projects include the extension of the runway at INS Parundu at Ramnad, from 3000 ft to 7000 ft, that will enable the base to operate heavier long-range aircraft.
(Source: The New Indian Express)
5. Cooum Banks to be Rid of All Encroachments By June
The Chennai Corporation is set to remove all encroachments along the Cooum by June 2020. Eviction of nine habitations along the river remains a challenge for its ecorestoration. After eviction of habitations along the river, the Corporation will develop parks, walkways, cycle tracks and nature trails in such locations, to attract tourists, officials said.
However, the civic body has only been able to evict families from 47 habitations along the river. Owing to protests, the Corporation and the Tamil Nadu Slum Clearance Board have not been able to resettle residents of Sathiyavani Muthu Nagar, Padikuppam Rail Nagar, Sivabootham, Kanniah Street, Bharathipuram, Gajalakshmi Colony and Thiruveedhiamman Koil Street.
(Source: The Hindu)
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