QChennai: Sasikala Seeks Parole; Dhinakaran Charged with Sedition

Here’s the day’s top news from Chennai.

1. Sasikala Applies for Parole to Meet Ailing Husband

Deposed AIADMK leader VK Sasikala, who is serving her sentence in a Bengaluru prison after her conviction in the disproportionate assets case, has applied for parole to meet her ailing husband M Natarajan. Natarajan, 74, was admitted to the Liver Intensive Care Unit at Gleneagles Global Hospital here last month following kidney and liver failure.

“We have applied for parole for our ‘general secretary’. Most probably she might come on parole tomorrow,” Sasikala’s nephew TTV Dhinakaran said. Her advocates have sought 15-day parole.

Source: The Hindu

Also Read: Afraid of Sasikala, We Lied About Jaya’s Health: TN Minister

2. Dhinakaran Booked by Salem Police for 'Sedition'

The Salem City Police have booked sidelined AIADMK leader TTV Dhinakaran and 16 of his supporters on charges of ‘sedition’, defaming the Chief Minister and committing other offences, as pamphlets allegedly containing defamatory content were distributed by some of them. Five of those arraigned in the case including former MLA SE Venkatachalam were arrested on Monday.

Saravanan, an AIADMK (Amma, PTA) functionary, had lodged a complaint with the Annathanapatti police alleging that when Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami had visited Salem to participate in the MGR birth centenary public meeting, some of the accused, who were supporters of Dhinakaran, had distributed pamphlets against Mr Palaniswami and the State government. Former legislator Venkatachalam, who was appointed the AIADMK (Amma) Salem Urban District unit’s secretary by Mr Dhinakaran, had distributed pamphlets to members of the public at Dadagapatti in the city.

Source: The Hindu

Also Read: Tamil Nadu Drama Not Playing Out According to Dhinakaran’s Script

3. Inox, PVR to Down Shutters to Protest Local Body Tax

A few theatres in Chennai, including Inox and PVR Cinemas, will remain shut on Tuesday in protest against the local body tax imposed on Tamil and other regional films. A few theatre owners have opined that this move will wipe away their margins and also kill the film industry.

On 30 September, an order was issued by the Greater Chennai Corporation’s Revenue Department, levying entertainment tax on new and old Tamil movies at 10% and 7% respectively. New films in other languages will have to pay a 20% tax while old ones will be charged 14% tax. The order was for theatres located within the limits of the Greater Chennai Corporation. This is above the 18-28% Goods and Services Tax (GST).

Source: The Hindu

Also Read: Theatre Strike Makes Tamil Nadu Go Ayyo! Ayyo! Ayyayyo!

4. City’s Second Airport May Come Up in Kancheepuram or Tiruvallur

Nearly 10 years ago, the State government announced a plan to build a second airport for Chennai at Sriperumbudur. Thereafter, the Chennai airport went through phase I modernisation and a few years after the terminals were saturated phase II project is all set to begin in a few months. But even now, there isn’t a concrete proposal for the second airport for the city whose traffic has been growing rapidly.

The only development perhaps in recent times is that Sriperumbudur will no longer house the second airport and the State may choose from four other sites —Walajabad and Madhurantakam in Kancheepuram district and Alamathy and Gummidipoondi in Tiruvallur district.

Officials in Airports Authority of India (AAI) said the reason to look for alternate location arose owing to unavailability of land.

Source: The Hindu

Also Read: Survey Finds Chennai Airport Among the Worst in Asia

5. Rain Boosts Storage in City Reservoirs

Heavy rain in the catchment areas of the city reservoirs over the weekend is bringing steady inflow into the water bodies that cater to the drinking water needs of residents. While more inflow is needed for reservoirs to fill up, the storage is steadily on the rise in several other dams across the State too.

According to the Water Resources Department, Red Hills received the highest volume of inflow with 967 cusecs on Monday among the city reservoirs. The combined storage of the four reservoirs stood at 568 million cubic feet on Monday and nearly 200 mcft of water was added in two days. While the available resource is still much lower than the capacity of 11,057 mcft, it would help in supplying water to the city for a month. Chennai residents may have to wait till the onset of the northeast monsoon for improved water supply.

Source: The Hindu

Also Read: After the Chennai Rain Delusions, My Anna Turns Back the Clock

6. Activists Held for Staging Protest near Gandhi Statue

A group of activists and scholars under the banner ‘Right to Dissent Forum’ were taken into preventive custody by police on Monday when they attempted to take out a procession.

Around 100 activists comprising of writers, social activists and scholarsassembled near Gandhi Statue on Marina Beach when the Gandhi Jayanthi celebration organised by the State government was on. A few of them were clad in black and reportedly tried to move forward in a procession holding placards stating: “Those (who) killed Gandhi (also) killed Gauri Too”. Police asked them to disperse since processions were not permitted on the Marina.

Source: The Hindu

Also Read: Exclusive | Detailed Account of Gauri Lankesh Murder Probe So Far

7. Corporation Starts Collecting Segregated Waste

Chennai Corporation has started collecting segregated waste from homes, institutions and commercial establishments in all zones. The civic body has directed all the 16,004 conservancy workers to stop collecting recyclable waste on a daily basis. The workers will collect only biodegradable waste. “They will visit homes to collect recyclable waste only on Wednesday,” said an official.

As many as 5,714 bulk generators, including hotels and gated communities have been asked to manage waste on their premises. Royapuram has the largest number of bulk generators as 4,219 commercial outlets and gated communities have been found generating more than 100 kg of waste per day.

Source: The Hindu

Also Read: In Photos: These Women Are Changing Lives, 1 Garbage Bag At A Time