1. Chennai Corporations Form Special Committees to Monitor Water Bodies
The Chennai city corporation is to set up 'water body monitoring' committees at the zonal level to monitor the water bodies under its purview. These committees are also set to inspect illegal sewage connections to Storm Water Drains (SWDs) and block them.
"We have asked our engineers to inform metro water engineers on identifying illegal sewage connections so that they will be able to facilitate connection to the underground drainage system instead," said a corporation official, adding that violators would also be penalised on the spot.
(Source: The New Indian Express)
2. NGT Fines Coimbatore Builder Rs 10 Crore for Violating Environmental Norms
The National Green Tribunal (NGT) slapped a penalty of Rs 10 crore on a private builder for constructing apartment building by violating environmental norms, including acquiring additional land and not obtaining Environmental Clearance (EC) certificate.
The order came on Tuesday based on a petition filed by V Sankarasubramanian against Town and City Developers, one of the companies of the KG Group, in 2015. The petition was filed against ‘Garden City’ township in Vedapatti, around 10 kilometres from the city centre in Coimbatore.
(Source: The News Minute)
3. Jaya Biopic Row: Madras HC Reserves Verdict in Deepa Jayakumar’s Plea
The Madras High Court on Wednesday reserved its order on a plea by former Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa's niece Deepa seeking to restrain some filmmakers from going ahead with the movies and a web series allegedly portraying the life of the late leader.
Jayalalithaa's niece Deepa Jayakumar had sought to restrain them from going ahead with their project without her consent and also contended that the filmmakers did not have any legal right to produce the movie on the life and times of Jayalalithaa or any of the direct descendants of the leader without her consent.
(Source: The News Minute)
4. Gold, Goods Worth Rs 16 Lakh Seized
Air Intelligence Unit sleuths from the customs department seized gold, laptops and cigarettes worth Rs 16.3 lakh at Chennai airport on Wednesday. Jahufer Sadiq (39) from Ramanathapuram, who had arrived from Dubai by Fly Dubai flight, was intercepted at the exit. On search, a gold cut bit weighing 10 gm and one semi-finished crude gold chain weighing 30 gm, both valued at Rs 1.5 lakh, were recovered.
On examination of his baggage, 22 cartons (5280 sticks) of Gudang Garam cigarettes worth Rs 52,000 and 17 refurbished laptops worth Rs 85,000, were recovered. As he appeared to be nervous, on persistent questioning, he admitted to have concealed three bundles of gold in rubbery spread form in rectum.
(Source: The New Indian Express)
5. AIADMK Slammed for Supporting CAB Which Excludes Sri Lanka Tamils
Even as the Lok Sabha passed the controversial Citizenship (Amendment) Bill late on Monday, 9 December night, the AIADMK received severe criticism for having supported the Bill, which excludes Muslim refugees of Afghanistan, Pakistan and Bangladesh from the path to citizenship.
Many have pointed out that late Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa would not have endorsed the Bill. DMK MPs pointed out in parliament that the Bill excludes thousands of Tamil refugees who fled persecution in Sri Lanka, another of India’s neighbouring countries.
Read the full story here.
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