1. 35% of Chennai’s Stormwater Drains Not Ready for Rains
Following a spell of rainfall, residents in the city have begun urging the Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) and the Public Works Department to initiate measures for monsoon preparedness, and desilt drains, canals and waterways. Usually, the GCC commences desilting of stormwater drains (SWD) and canals a few months ahead of the onset of the northeast monsoon in October. This year, however, many drains along key areas have not been desilted, residents said.
T Nagar Residents’ Welfare Association representative VS Jayaraman of Motilal Street said most of the roads in T Nagar get waterlogged. “Most of the stormwater drains in T Nagar are clogged because of the dumping of waste by shopkeepers. Most streets have waterlogging [issues]. There is no proper connection of drains to major waterways. Stormwater drains are also dysfunctional. The Corporation should find out who’s letting sewage water into the stormwater drains. Food waste dumped by eateries in T. Nagar remains a challenge,” Jayaraman said.
(Source: The Hindu)
2. About 5,000 NGOs Granted Tax Exemption: IT Commissioner
About 5,000 NGOs were granted tax exemption for charitable activities in the State in the last five to seven years. Nearly 400 applications are received from NGOs every month seeking tax exemption, said G M Doss (in pic), Commissioner of Income-Tax (Exemptions), Tamil Nadu and Puducherry.
He told reporters on Monday that NGOs that contribute to educational and medical fields and perform activities that uplift poor from poverty are exempted from income-tax. Recently, yoga, preservation of environment and monuments were added to tax exemption categories. For tax exemption, 85 percent of yearly income of NGOs must be spent for charitable purposes,’’ he said.
(Source: The New Indian Express)
3. Take Steps to Save Jobs, TN Leaders Urge Centre
In view of the poor business climate facing the country’s automobile industry, political leaders have urged the Central government to act to save jobs, and have called for cuts to GST rates. On Sunday, AIADMK leader and Minister for Tamil Language and Culture K Pandiarajan, citing a news report projecting massive job cuts in the automobile industry, tweeted, “Warning signal, especially for TN which has the highest concentration of Auto sector in India – Central govt to act fast announcing fiscal and other incentives to save the jobs!”
In a statement, PMK founder S Ramadoss referred to the global economic conditions and their impact on India, adding that while many had lost their jobs, the middle class and private sector employees were anxious about their future. While the Centre was aiming to boost the country’s economy by increasing targets, the ground reality was different. All sectors were facing a slowdown, which was much more pronounced in the automobile sector, he said.
(Source: The Hindu)
4. Chennai Receives Rain, No Respite from Water Crisis
Chennai continued to receive rainfall on Sunday after light to moderate showers on Saturday. According to the regional meteorological department, the city is likely to receive light to moderate rain or thundershowers for the next 48 hours. The maximum and minimum temperature is likely to be around 31 and 25 degree Celsius respectively, until Monday noon and 33 and 26 degree Celsius respectively, from Monday to Tuesday noon.
The city recorded an average rainfall of 28.10 mm from Saturday morning until Sunday morning. This took the Southwest monsoon rainfall that the city received from 1 June until Sunday, to 301.90 mm. The rainfall hasn’t resulted in the city’s main reservoirs — Poondi, Cholavaram, Redhills and Chembarambakkam — getting any inflow.
(Source: The New Indian Express)
5. HC Disposed of More Cases in 2018, Thanks to Higher Judge Strength
For the first time in many years, the number of cases disposed of by the Madras High Court was more than the number of cases filed in a year: 1,62,081 cases disposed of against 1,52,609 instituted in 2018. The achievement, although small, appears to have been the result of the substantial increase in the strength of judges over the years.
A look at the statistics of the court since 2005 shows that the number of cases filed in a year was around 1.5 lakh cases every year. The court could never match its disposal figures with that of new cases, which led to fresh cases getting added to the kitty of pending cases. The principal seat of the High Court in Chennai and its Madurai Bench began the year 2005 with a pendency of 1,32,260 and 26,730 cases respectively. During the course of the year, 1,01,733 cases were filed in Chennai and 30,733 cases in Madurai, but the court was able to dispose of only 77,641 and 20,728 cases respectively by the end of the year.
(Source: The Hindu)
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