1. Work on Undersea Cables to Link Andamans to Begin in December
Work to install a 2,300-km undersea optical submarine cable system for high-speed internet connecting Andaman and Nicobar Islands to mainland India through Chennai will begin in December. Japanese tech major, NEC Corporation, has been contracted by the BSNL to design, engineer, supply, install, test and implement the cable system.
“It (cable laying work) is scheduled to start in December 2019, and will be completed by the end of March 2020,” a spokesperson for NEC said. The contract signed in July last year is for a system that includes a segment with repeaters from Chennai to Port Blair and seven segments without repeaters between the islands of Havelock, Little Andaman (Hutbay), Car Nicobar, Kamorta, the Great Nicobar island, Long Island and Rangat.
(Source: The Hindu)
2. Gang Hacks 40-Year-Old to Death
A 40-year-old man was hacked to death by a five-member gang at Villivakkam on Tuesday. The deceased Bhaskaran was the prime accused in the murder of railway union leader JK Puthiyavan in February last year and used to work as a car driver for him. He was recently released on bail, police said.“ The incident occurred around 12:30 am when Bhaskaran was returning home from work on foot.
"A five-member gang surrounded him near his house at Balaramapuram and attacked him with pepper spray. Then they hacked him,” a police officer said. Bhaskaran died on the spot. Villivakkam police sent the body to KMC Hospital for post-mortem.
(Source: The New Indian Express)
3. CM Back from Abroad; Israel Trip in the Offing
Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami received a rousing reception at the Chennai International Airport on Tuesday, as he returned to the city after leading a delegation to the UK, the US and the Emirates as part of a fortnight-long foreign trip aimed at attracting investments to the state.
Terming his foreign visit fruitful, Palaniswami said he will soon leave for Israel to learn about water management practices there. Official sources said the Israel tour was slated for later this month. Describing his just-concluded foreign trip as a success, Palaniswami said a total of 41 Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) were inked for investments to the tune of Rs 8,830 crore, which could generate around 37,300 jobs.
(Source: The Hindu)
4. Worms in Food? Kitchen License Suspended
State Food Safety Department officials on Tuesday temporarily cancelled the kitchen licence of Murugan Idli Kadai after finding that the kitchen was not hygienic. A food safety official of Tiruvallur district said, “The food is being supplied from the kitchen at Ambattur Industrial Estate to around 23 outlets of Murugan Idli Kadai. We inspected the area and found fault in the functioning of the kitchen. So, we gave 50 days time to rectify them. But, they failed to do. Again, we issued a show cause notice, but they did not rectify then also. So, we cancelled the licence temporarily. If they rectify those defects and come to us, we will revoke the cancellation of licence after inspection”.
The official further said, “We noted 10 main defects like flooring of the kitchen was damaged, washing area also not maintained well. Packing items were not handled properly. Temperature in storage coolers was not maintained. The kitchen was not hygienic”.
(Source: The New Indian Express)
5. Stalin Demands White Paper
DMK president MK Stalin on Tuesday demanded that Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami publish a detailed White Paper within two days on the investments brought into the state, the jobs created and the industries set up under the AIADMK regime. “Is he ready to publish a detailed White Paper? If he does this, I am ready to hold a felicitation function for the chief minister on behalf of the DMK,” Stalin said.
In a statement, the DMK president questioned the value of investments realised from the 443 MoUs signed by the State government with various companies. “As many as 98 MoUs were signed during the 2015 Global Investors’ Meet, and the investments are yet to materialise. As many as 304 agreements were signed during the 2019 GIM. We do not know the current status of these investments. Have they vanished into thin air?” he asked.
(Source: The Hindu)
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