ABORTION THROUGH BIRIYANI? HUBBY ON THE RUN
By Praveen Kumar, Bangalore Mirror Bureau | Updated: Aug 22, 2017, 04.00 AM IST

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Woman in shock after miscarriage; cops say he didn’t want any more kids

The city police are on the hunt for a man who reportedly fed his 28-week pregnant wife biriyani laced with poison, leading to a miscarriage. Parveen Taj (26), who was carrying twins, is said to be in shock since the incident and is under treatment, according to her mother. Parveen’s husband, Syed Khaleem, is absconding.

Parveen and Syed married in 2012 after almost two years of courtship. But the good days didn’t last long. He started harassing her for dowry and would frequently physically abuse her. The assault became so frequent that she was afraid even to ask for money to buy groceries. Her parents -- Nissar Ahmed and Shabeena – would take pity on Parveen and give her money for everyday expenses.

A police officer said that Syed was reportedly a drug addict and would sometimes not come home for up to two weeks. The couple has a four-year-old son.

“During her second pregnancy, Syed would assault her demanding that she terminate the pregnancy. But she had refused. One day, he brought her some biriyani, a food she loves. Not suspecting his motive, she ate it. Soon after, she had severe stomachache, was rushed to the hospital, but lost her twins,” the officer explained.

Parveen filed a complaint on Friday with the JP Nagar police. She is presently with her parents who live near Ragigudda. She told the police that even their son was not spared the brutality.

When BM called Taj to get her version, she said she was in extreme pain after the miscarriage and handed the phone to her mother. Sabeena told BM: “My daughter has lost her mental balance since the incident. One person has to stand guard by her as she goes away from the house remembering about the miscarriage. Her four-year-old son has also suffered his [Syed’s] brutality. He would heat up objects on the stove and brand him. Hope the police will arrest him soon.”

A case of attempt to murder (IPC 307), causing miscarriage without woman’s consent (IPC 313) and subjecting woman to cruelty (IPC 498A) has been registered against Syed, who is also accused of taking his wife’s gold ornaments.

AG’s office coop society becomes flashpoint

NT Bureau September 8, 2017 0

Women staff of AG’s office protesting on Thursday.

Chennai: The employees of the Accountant General’s office of Tamilnadu, staged a protest on Thursday against the decision of their Accountant General (A&E), Arun Goyal, to seal the Employees Cooperative Credit Society which has been functioning on the premises for the last 60 years.

The Employees Cooperative Credit Society was formed by the AG’s office employees for taking care of their immediate financial needs by providing loans at low interest. Over the years, the society had grown steadily with the support of the employees, to a level that a member could avail of a loan up to Rs 5 lakh, said a member.

The problem started when Arun Goyal, who took charge as Accountant General in 2016, refused to recover the loan instalment from the employees’ monthly salary, which had been the practice since the inception of the society. The society obtained a stay order from the Madras High Court against the decision of the AG.

But, after six months, due to the absence of a tripartite agreement, the stay was vacated, with instructions to the AG not to interfere in the daily affairs of the cooperative society. Now the society has again gone on appeal, and the next hearing is in two weeks.

In the meantime, Arun Goyal issued a notice to the secretary of the society to vacate the premises and that the society would be sealed today in spite of the court’s instructions.

An employee of the AG’s office said, “The destructive mentality of the AG has jeopardised the functioning of the society. From marriages to medical emergencies, the loans which we availed of from the society helped us in our times of need. In return, the interest was deducted each month from our salary in instalments and it was a smooth process.”

The AG’s office staff staged a demonstration yesterday and resolutions were passed saying the AG (A&E) will be responsible for any untoward incident happening. All India Audit Officers Association, Confederation of Central Government Employees, All India Audit and Accounts Employees Association, All India Pensioner’s Association, Central Government Gazetted Officers Association have extended support to this agitation.

Efforts of News Today to reach the AG’s office and Deputy AG’s office went in vain.

More CCTVs can curb trouble, say commuters

S Ben Raja September 8, 2017 0

Chennai: Perungalathur junction is one of the heavily crowded places in the city with a floating population of over 20,000 everyday.

This is due to the presence of the mofussil bus terminus at the junction. Residents alleged that accidents even claiming the life of individuals are happening there due to poor illumination and lack of CCTV cameras to nab the offenders.

They have requested the Highways Department to fix all the worn out street lights at the earliest and install cameras at prime spots of the junction.

Sources said very recently, a daily wage worker (70) died on the spot when a vehicle knocked him down at the junction. He was walking on the GST Road to catch a train at Perungalathur station when the incident happened. Later his body was taken to Chrompet GH.

Sources added that the culprits are still roaming free due to poor illumination and lack of CCTV cameras as police are almost clueless about the offender.

Speaking to News Today, a resident of Ranga Nagar, Mudichur, Paarthiban, said, “First of all, the road doesn’t provide support for the pedestrians. There is no walkers’ path and the stagnant bridge construction work further eats up into the road. So, in most cases, pedestrians are forced to walk on the main road attracting attention for the on coming vehicles who honk and disperse off the crowd. In certain cases, they even knock down the pedestrians.”

“This has been the case for the past couple of years. These incidents usually go unnoticed and they don’t even get published in papers. As said, there are no proper street lights on the GST Road especially between Perungalathur junction and Irumbuliyur. Motorists drive recklessly in order to come out of the congestion at the junction. So, the authorities should install street lights and accompanying CCTV cameras at the earliest. Else, there will be no end to these problems,” he added.

A pedestrain at the spot said, “More than the lack of space, the vehicles crowding near the railway crossing is a cause for concern for us. They create chaos on the road despite the presence of barricades. So, in the end, the vehicles on the main road, out of frustration speedup and land in accidents. I myself have seen many accidents because of this problem. Secondly, police patrolling should increase in the night time so as to nab the over speeding vehicles.”

“Though there is a police booth near the bus stand, it is not enough as a massive portion of pedestrians are standing on the western side to board buses heading towards the city. So, in addition to the installing CCTV camera, a dedicated police booth should also come up here,” he added.

Assn in Chennai prevents entry to liquor shop

S Ben Raja September 8, 2017 0

Chennai: After Supreme Court order to close down all liquor outlets at a close proximity of 500 metres from the highways came into force, the government has been trying all means to establish the outlets at other places.

Unfortunately, Kishkinta Main Road which runs parallel to Mudichur Main Road at Perungalathur has been chosen as a prime spot.

In order to make the locality alcohol free, Kiskintha Welfare Association has been proactively working to stop such measures of the government.

In March this year, the association members sent a letter to the District Collector to stop the construction of a TASMAC outlet near Kishkinta Main Road bus stop.

At that time, they also erected a large banner insisting government not to open shops in the locality and warned of serious protests if their plight is not paid heed to.

But the construction activity which was halted all these months again started in August. But thankfully, the association’s second phase of war-footing measures made sure that the plan was shelved.

Speaking to News Today, secretary of the association, Vinoth Kumar, said, “Due to TASMAC shops getting closed on State and National highways, most of them are being pushed to other interior roads. Our locality is one of the worst affected by this menace. In August, they again started constructing the outlet at the Kishkinta Main Road very close to the bus stop. The building was previously a godown where State government’s plastic items were stored.”

“But for the sake of opening the outlet, they removed all the goods and sealed the building. Eventually, they started re-modifying the structure like a TASMAC outlet. Last month, they completed the front portion painting work and did some modification at the back side. But we wasted no time and escalated the issue to the Collector through an email. Further we have also submitted a letter to Tambaram RDO to stop any such permissions,” he added.

The association members said work has been halted now. “After our measures, the construction activity has been halted. We are hopeful that the officials will no longer cling on to this building. If they again start the activity, we have no other option but to stage a massive protest getting support from other associations as well,” Vinoth said.

“The greatest problem with a TASMAC outlet is the accumulation of plastic bottles and litter in the vicinity. Tipplers will just fall in our streets making a big mess here. Not only that, lot of people will be stationed here to buy liquor,” said a resident of the locality.

New traffic route creates problem at Toll plaza

Praveen Kumar S September 8, 2017 0

Chennai: Due to unscheduled diversions and bad roads near Porur toll plaza, traffic looms at the Chennai-Bengaluru Expressway every day.

As policemen make a part of the Porur Link Road one way for the rest of the evening, the area gets crowded for hours.

For motorists using the Expressway or Chennai bypass, two roads take them to Mount Poonamallee High Road that connects the city with outer parts like Poonamallee – one being Samayapuram Salai (leading to Gandhi Nagar) and the other Porur Link Road. The Samayapuram Salai is riddled with numerous potholes due to a lack of resurfacing in recent times.

The Porur Link Road however, was the preferred choice for commuters to ditch the bypass and get to the main road.

However, traffic police, assuming the condition to be too crowded with vehicles, have made the road one-way use only, forcing commuters to use the Chettiyar Agaram Road nearby, leading to congestion.

Inter-State travellers, transport corporation buses and commuters are resigned to wait till the traffic-snarl subsides, which takes a couple of hours on a daily basis.

“‘We have to wait at the toll plaza for at least an hour now. With the monsoon bringing in good showers, people who take the stretch are made to wait in the rain. This diversion is not necessary now because things were not bad earlier. So, why fix a thing that isn’t wrong? If the damaged road is ready, then things might get better,’” said Senthil, a commuter, speaking to News Today.

When contacted, Porur Traffic Inspector, Saravanan, said,”‘It is being tried as a trial run now. We divert vehicles for a couple of hours to prevent blockage. Vehicles coming from Guindy take the Porur Link Road and because of a signal present there, a huge queue forms up. To prevent this, we have diverted vehicles only during the peak hours.’” He added that the trial run has not yet been approved by the department.

“‘If Samayapuram Salai is ready, we will not face this problem. But the storm water drain work that is being done there, prevents any further improvements from our side. We have sent notices for the road to be re-laid soon. When the road work is completed, we will remove the diversion,’” he added.

Bad roads lead to lack of bus services in Chennai

Praveen Kumar S September 8, 2017 0

Chennai: The significance of Manapakkam Main Road, near Porur, is well-known to residents as it connects places like Kolapakkam, Gerugambakkam, Madanandapuram, Mugalivakkam and Pozhichalur with Manapakkam.

Recently, the Metrowater department laid new pipes on one side of the road and constructed SWDs on the other side. This led to the road being turned into a battered and unmotorable stretch. Although sources say that the CMWSSB had paid the required penalty to the Corporation, the stretch has not been laid yet.

Due to this, motorists and pedestrians had to deal with dust during the summer and slush at present after rain. Citing this condition, the transport department has stopped buses that ply through the road and has directed them to Mount Poonamallee High Road.

Buses from Parry’s, Thyagaraya Nagar run through Manapakkam and pass through places like Kundrathur and Iyyappanthangal. The stoppage had happened a week ago and residents of the area are most affected by this.

Kumaran, a resident, said,” ‘I depend on the buses to reach my work place. Now, I have to take a share auto and reach the Mount Poonamallee High Road to catch a bus. There are hundreds who are like me. If the Corporation had acted in time, this could have been avoided.’”

Many echoed his words and opined that authorities are hardly ‘concerned authorities’. ‘Protests might happen if the problem is not fixed soon,’ said the angry residents.

Thousands witness car procession at Vailankanni

PTI September 8, 2017 0

Nagapattinam: A large number of devotees from various parts of the country thronged Vailankanni in this district to witness the grand car procession at the Shrine Basillca.

Prior to the car festival, a holy flag was hoisted in the afternoon. Bishop of Thanjavur Devdas Ambrose conducted special prayers on the theme “Mary – Refuge of Sinners”.

After the prayers, seven illuminated cars in various sizes were taken in procession. The first pilot car of the seven illuminated cars, had been reserved exclusively for the women devotees. Only women were allowed to carry the first car in procession and it was followed by the other cars.

The car festival marks the commencement of the birthday celebrations of the Lady of Good Health today. Nagapattinam district administration has made elaborate arrangements for the smooth conduct of the festival.