1. Sasikala's Parole: Karnataka Prisons Dept to Seek Details of Natarajan's Health
Deposed AIADMK leader VK Sasikala’s parole application has been rejected by the prisons department officials of Karnataka as it is not complete and is not supported by adequate documents. Sasikala, who is serving a four-year sentence, had sought parole for 15 days, as her husband M Natarajan is critically ill in Chennai. A certificate from a local MLA or MLC or gazetted officer certifying that Natarajan is seriously ill was not enclosed with the application, the officials said.
The Karnataka prisons department will soon be writing to the Tamil Nadu police to check on the health condition of her husband M Natarajan and also about the security that needs to be provided to Sasikala once she leaves Bengaluru and reaches Tamil Nadu.
Source: The Hindu
Also Read: Sasikala’s Husband Natarajan in Hospital, Needs Liver Transplant
2. No Release of Tamil Flicks From Friday Onwards, Says Producers Council
With the State government imposing a local body tax on movie tickets, the Tamil Film Producers Council has said that there would be no Tamil film releases from Friday onwards until the State government removes the 10% entertainment tax and regulates the ticket prices.
The various stakeholders of the film industry, which is burdened by piracy, the Goods and Services Tax (GST) and reducing footfall, will get together on Wednesday to decide on the next course of action. Several multiplexes, including Inox and PVR, will also down their shutters for the second day on Wednesday. Actor Vishal, general secretary of Nadigar Sangam and president, Tamil Film Producers Council, met producers on Tuesday night to discuss the issue with them. “We are in a disabled situation. We will decide at the meeting (on Wednesday) the next move.”
Source: The Hindu
Also Read: Rajinikanth, Kamal Haasan Urge TN Govt to Help Reopen Theatres
3. Narrow Foot Overbridge at Mambalam Railway Station Gives Commuters the Jitters
Residents of T Nagar fear a tragedy like what happened at the Elphinstone railway station in Mumbai which claimed more than 20 lives. The stampede at the station on 29 September should come as a wake-up call to the Southern Railway to widen the foot overbridge at the Mambalam railway station. The structure has also been encroached upon by hawkers.
The Mambalam station is one of the busiest in the city as it serves as a link to shoppers thronging T Nagar. Thousands use the suburban train services to reach the busy Ranganathan Street. The Chennai Beach-Tambaram section, on an average, caters to around 10 lakh commuters a day.
Source: The Hindu
Also Read: Faultline in a City: How Do We Prevent More Elphinstone Tragedies?
4. Group of IAS Aspirants Nabs Chain Snatcher, Cops Arrest Accomplice
It was not part of the syllabus they were trying to master, but when a few IAS aspirants on Monday night saw a woman trying to save her gold chain from two men in Anna Nagar, they decided not to go by the book.
They ran to the spot and encircled the two men, caught one of them, and handed him over to police. Officers identified him as Manikandan, 27, of Anna Nagar and recovered a 11 sovereign gold chain. Based on the information provided by Manikandan, police nabbed his aide Siva of Mogappair on Tuesday. A court has sent the two men to jail.
Source: Times Of India
5. Hearing on Plea Against Jaya Death Probe Panel Today
The Madras High Court will on Wednesday hear a public interest litigation petition challenging the constitution of a one-man Commission of Inquiry, headed by retired High Court judge A Arumughaswamy, to conduct a probe into the “circumstances and situation leading to the hospitalisation” of former Chief Minister Jayalalithaa on 22 September last and the “subsequent [medical] treatment” provided till her death on 5 December.
The first Division Bench of Chief Justice Indira Banerjee and Justice M Sundar accepted a request made by senior counsel KM Vijayan, representing the petitioner PA Joseph of Chennai, to take up the matter on Wednesday in view of the urgency involved in the issue. He contended that the commission had been constituted without a resolution to that effect having been passed by the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly, as mandated under Section 3 of the Commission of Inquiry Act of 1952.
Source: The Hindu
Also Read: AIADMK’s OPS Camp Meets President, Seeks Probe Into Jaya’s Death
6. EPS Group Plans to Launch Television Channel, Newspaper
There will be a new entrant soon among a host of politically-sponsored television news channels in Tamil Nadu. The ruling AIADMK camp led by Edappadi K Palaniswami is planning to start a television news channel and newspaper to propagate the party's ideals and publicise the achievements of the government. The AIADMK mouthpiece Namadhu MGR and Jaya TV are now under the control of the Sasikala clan, focussing on news and developments "favourable" to the family.
The move for an in-house TV channel and newspaper gained momentum in the wake of the Palaniswami government garnering negative publicity in Namadhu MGR and Jaya TV . "Palaniswami has set up a team led by trusted ministers S P Velumani and P Thangamani to work out the 'media' strategy. More than 10 names have been discussed but nothing has been finalised yet given the developments in recent days," said a senior minister, seeking anonymity. The group is very keen to have MGR and Amma in the name of the entities to carry forward the legacy of the former chief ministers and to strike a chord among the cadre.
Source: Times Of India
Also Read: AIADMK Drama: How the Wait for HC Verdict Could Alter TN Politics
7. Starting Young with Stamps
Soon, children can get a postage stamp with photos of themselves or their school premises or even open a philatelic deposit account. In an effort to generate interest among children in philately as a hobby, the Department of Posts is reaching out to schools through workshops.
The department has deployed philatelic promotion executives to visit government and private schools and conduct workshops to create awareness on how to collect stamps. Officials of the postal department said the school children would also be connected to the nearest post offices for further transactions.
Source: The Hindu
Also Read: Shouldn’t Decisions Like Demonetisation Have Parliament’s Stamp?
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