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1. Spate of Accidents Dent TANGEDCO's Safety Record
The new year began on a sour note for the Tamil Nadu Generation and Distribution Corporation (Tangedco), after four electrocution deaths were reported in the space of a week in the city. The fatal accidents involving two wiremen in Sowcarpet and two persons in Choolaimedu and Tambaram have left senior officials in the electricity department worried.
The two wiremen — R Vincent, 43, and R Udhaya Kumar, 40 — attached to the Sowcarpet East section office,were electrocuted when they were attempting to restore power supply to Audiappa Naicken Street, on January 1. Three days after this accident, Lima Rose, a resident of Choolaimedu, was killed when a pillar box burst due to a short-circuit in the underground cable on January 4.
(Source: The Hindu)
2. Mosquitoes Abound in North Chennai
Stagnation of sewage alongside busy roads in north Chennai has turned the places into hot spots for breeding mosquitoes. The Ennore High Road near Tiruvottiyur, Buckingham Canal Road in Tondiarpet, Kodungaiyur-bound Tondiarpet Road, and Vyasarpadi have been bearing the brunt of massive sewage puddles for several days.
Although the city corporation has identified around 30 breeding spots in each of these areas, the stagnation of sewage on the road remains a major concern. On a field visit, Express spotted hundreds of mosquitoes breeding in a puddle near Tiruvottiyur on the Ennore High Road.
(Source: The New Indian Express)
3. Bypoll Bribery Case: EC Passes Buck to I-T Dept
The Election Commission (EC) on Thursday told the Madras High Court that any further proceeding in the 2017 Radhakrishnan Nagar bypoll bribery case would now depend upon the assessment proceedings initiated by the Income Tax department against Health Minister C Vijayabaskar from whose residence the I-T sleuths had reportedly recovered a loose sheet of paper regarding distribution of money.
Appearing before a Division Bench of Justices M. Sathyanarayanan and R Hemalatha, EC’s counsel Niranjan Rajagopalan said, “The Election Commission feels that now everything is under the realm of the tax authorities.” On his part, A P Srinivas, Senior Standing Counsel for the I-T department, said, the officials had now got one more year’s time to complete the assessment proceedings initiated based on the seizures.
(Source: The Hindu)
4. Accumulated Traffic, Stray Cattle Cause Traffic Snarls in Kovilambakkam
Lack of maintenance and civic apathy has turned a stretch of the Medavakkam High Road, at Kovilambakkam into a garbage dump yard. The stretch connects Medavakkam-Koot Road to Echangadu and Kovilambakkam. The residents say that panchayat officials clear the garbage only once in 10 days.
The traffic here comes to a standstill during peak hours as the garbage strewn on the road covers up nearly half the area. Adding to the misery, stray cattle gather around to eat the waste mixed with the garbage. Nights are particularly dangerous as motorists meet with accidents trying to avoid the stray. The absence of street lights add to the plight of those who drive on this road.
(Source: The New Indian Express)
5. DLF, Backed by GIC to Invest Rs 5,000 Cr to Develop IT Park
After nearly a decade, the DLF project in Taramani is set to take off with Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami laying the foundation stone on Thursday. The realty developer, backed by Singapore’s sovereign fund GIC, will be investing Rs 5,000 crore to develop a 6.8 million sq. ft IT park in Taramani. The project, DLF Downtown Taramani, spread over 27 acres, is a joint venture with the Tamil Nadu Industrial Development Corporation (TIDCO). With this, Chennai will become DLF’s second largest market after Gurugram.
It may be recalled that in 2008, DLF won the bid by offering Rs 750 crore for a land parcel, measuring 26.64 acres, in Taramani. In 2010, DLF decided to pull out of the project and asked the Tamil Nadu government to refund its money. When the State government refused to give the money, DLF moved the matter to the Madras High Court.
(Source: The Hindu)
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