In the name of God, they encroach city roads

TNN | Feb 8, 2018, 08:00 IST



Sri Arulasi Vinayagar Vazhipattu Maiyam Temple, Ashok Nagar.

The Madras high court's direction on Tuesday to remove a temple 'constructed' on Public Works Department land on Rajaji Salai has brought the focus on several similar encroachments on public space. While some are right on roads, others have encroached upon pavements, narrowing the space for pedestrians. 

Of the temples TOI visited on Wednesday, one has grabbed a portion of the pavement on Medavakkam Main Road in Adambakkam, while another has taken over a portion of Railway Station Road that is under the purview of metro rail, with an illegal structure extended till the pillars (of metro rail) even as a makeshift fence has been erected to expand it further. At Ashok Nagar, one temple stands in the middle of an intersection with 11th Avenue, while a temple on Pillayar Koil Street in West Mambalam has almost taken over the lane.

Such encroachments are not new said T Nagar Residents Welfare Association secretary B Kannan. "Most of these illegal structures have political backing. That's why government machinery is refusing to act," he said. Kannan said he had approached a court against an illegal place of worship on Mothilal Street in T Nagar which also ate up the pavement. "Despite the court's direction, action is yet to be taken," he added.

Top Comment Political parties should purchase private land to create place for their statues, flag masts and memorials etc. No public space should be made available to political leaders too. No expired leader asks for statues.viswanathan krishnan

Padavettamman Temple, Alandur

Chitlapakkam Residents Associations Coordination Committee convenor P Vishwanathan said those keen on building places of worship must do so by purchasing land. "A few months ago, the (Kancheepuram) district administration and revenue department removed three temples on the bund of Chitlapakkam lake," he added.

Want to visit Raj Bhavan in Chennai?

Julie Mariappan | TNN | Feb 8, 2018, 13:47 IST



Raj Bhavan

CHENNAI: The Tamil Nadu governor's office has decided to keep the gates of Raj Bhavan open between 4.30pm and 5.30pm on all days to encourage the general public to visit the premises.
An official release said a tour using battery operated vehicles would commence on February 9.

"Visitors will be able see the Durbar Hall, where the swearing-in ceremonies take place, the Presidential Guest House, which houses the VIP guests, the lawns of Raj Bhavan, where the deer and the black buck mingle and play happily along, and the main building which houses the office of the governor," the release said.

A tour into the forest areas and to the polo ground is also included in the visit.

People who are interested in visiting Raj Bhavan can apply for it on the website: www.tnrajbhavan.gov.in.

Coimbatore doctor held for sexually assaulting nursing student 

A Subburaj | TNN | Feb 8, 2018, 11:48 IST

 COIMBATORE: A doctor, who heads a hospital in Coimbatore, has been arrested for sedating and then sexually assaulting a minor nursing student. 

Dr K T Ravindran, chairman of ARR Medical Centre in Singanallur, was arrested on Wednesday for sexually assaulting the 17-year-old student. The student was taking practical training in the hospital.
Police said the minor girl had fever and told Dr Ravindran about her health condition. He allegedly administered sedative to the girl and molested her in his chamber. The incident happened on February 5.
Police said the girl, who hails from Kodaikanal in Dindigul district, was studying in a private nursing college in Dindigul. She was sent to ARR Medical Centre for practical training by the college a few weeks ago.
Dr Ravindran threatened the girl against revealing the incident to anyone. However, she contacted Childline (1098) and narrated the incident to its coordinator, M Suleka, who lodged a complaint with all-woman police (east) inspector Masutha Begum.
The police registered a case against Ravindran under sections 7, 9 (e) read with 10 of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (Pocso) Act 2012 and arrested him.

Fatherless boys beg for mom’s funeral at hospital where she died

TNN | Updated: Feb 9, 2018, 07:59 IST

 
 People at Dindigul GH began offering money to Mohanraj, 15, and Velmurugan, 14, (in pic) after it became appa... Read More 

MADURAI: At times poverty can be worse than death, as the hapless sons of a woman who succumbed to cancer realised bitterly in Dindigul on Wednesday. When Mohanraj, 15, and Velmurugan, 14, sat beside the lifeless body of their mother at the government hospital in the town, the tears that rolled down their cheeks were more about their helplessness than about losing their mother. Death had snatched away their sole breadwinner, and they didn't have the money for her last journey. 

Moved by their plight, some people started offering money and the boys collected it. R Packialakshmi, who was at the scene when the woman died, said, "It was heart-wrenching to see the boys as they looked lost, because they did not have money and did not know what to do.'' Since the money offered was hardly enough for her last rites, the brothers went about seeking alms from other patients too at the hospital. Finally, with help from such strangers, they managed to cremate her at the electric crematorium in Dindigul. Being informed of their plight, the district collector too chipped in by arranging for the cremation.

Mohanraj revealed that their story has been anything but smooth. He had to drop out of school this year after attending ninth standard for a month as his mother Vijaya, 40, started falling sick. She had been the sole breadwinner after the death of their father Kaliappan nine years ago. The brothers also had a younger sister, Kaleeswari, 9. Vijaya had wanted all three to do well in studies and had also enrolled the two younger children in school — the girl in a residential school at Oddanchathiram.

He says his mother never refused an opportunity to work and always brought home food for the three of them. After working from morning to night, she used to weave basket and sell them. Though their father left them with a house, it was their mother who saved for their future. But when she started getting sick, Mohanraj was forced to seek employment, in a bakery that provided him work for Rs 200 a day. ``When I first took my mother to the Rajaji Hospital in Madurai about four months ago, I was told that she would have to be accompanied by women as men would not be allowed into the ward,'' he said. He immediately called up some of their relatives for help, but none of them obliged.

Finally, a woman in the village offered to accompany their mother to the hospital for Rs 300 per trip. That was when he decided to work and earn money. On Tuesday, Mohanraj dialled '108' ambulance after Vijaya's condition worsened and she was writhing in pain. Though she was brought to the hospital she passed away the next day. ``I did not expect my mother to die. Many people including actor Lawrence's association have come forward to help us. So now I have decided to go back to school and make my mother's dream come true,'' he said.

The boy says that he does not need money anymore as the people's contributions and the collector's help in arranging the cremation had met his immediate needs. ``Initially, I thought I would have to work to see my sister's education complete, but with many people coming forward to take care of it, I do not need money. I will join the government school and study,'' he said.

Tyre burst, leak force crisis landing of jet in city, 21 flights delayed

TNN | Updated: Feb 9, 2018, 06:24 IST



The SpiceJet flight tyre suspected to have burst since the wheels stopped spinning. CHENNAI: Six flights were diverted and 10 arrivals and 11 departures delayed at the city airport on Thursday after a SpiceJet flight, with close to 200 passengers, made an emergency landing following a hydraulic leak, suffered a tyre burst and got stuck on the main runway since landing at 2.25pm. The runways were closed till 6.45pm. 

An Ethiopian Airways freighter plane, which was scheduled to land at 1.40pm and was put on hold because of the incident, also made an emergency landing on the second runway, at 2.52pm.

SpiceJet's Chennai-Delhi flight (SG106) with 199 people onboard had taken off around 1.40pm and was at an altitude of 20,000 feet when the Captain detected a hydraulic leak and found pressure dipping, forcing him to declare an emergency and turn back. Air traffic control asked the pilot to check for snags after the pilot of a Bombardier aircraft that took off after SpiceJet's B737-8 spotted oil spill and tyre parts on the main runway.

A senior Airports Authority of India official said the cockpit crew had by then detected the hydraulic problem.

Official says tyre burst caused minor damage to tarmac

The official said, "The plane made a safelanding from the Guindyend of the main runway at 2.25pm. Itwas haltedthere after a tyre on the rightlanding gear burst during touchdown."

The main runway had to be closed because the markings caused by the landing gear had to be inspected and repaired and also because the stricken flight was on a taxiway near the main runway. "After the incident, we used the second runway for landings and takeoffs, leading to delays because taxiing time is more for departing flights. There is also congestion because it takes longer for planes to move from the second runway into taxiway after landing," the AAI official said.

A SpiceJet flight from Tuticorin turned to Tirupati, a Jet Airways plane from Delhi and IndiGo flight from Bhubaneswar sent to Bengaluru, and an IndiGo flight from Kochi divertedtoHyderabad were among the diversions.SpiceJetin a statement said: "SpiceJet Chennai-Delhi flight suffered a suspected tyre burst at thetime of takeoff. The crew decided to turn back and landed safely in Chennai. Passengers were deplaned safely and were taken to the terminal building."

An airport official said theB737suffered a hydraulic fault. "It is suspected the wheels stopped spinning, triggering a burst. One wheel of the same landing gear under the right wing seems to have developedtroublewhen the plane took off causing shreds of tyre to scatter on the runway. The tyres which did notspin burstbecauseof the friction with the runway when ittoucheddown. There was minor damage tothetarmac as the metal wheel dug in," he said, adding that a detailed probewouldbeheld.

Don't let poor suffer due to lack of infrastructure for authentication of Aadhaar: SC

Dhananjay Mahapatra | TNN | Updated: Feb 9, 2018, 03:35 IST

The court found merit in Kapil sibal's arguement that lack of 24x7 electricity and internet in remote areas could lead to non-authentication of Aadhaar

Sibal pointed out that several people had died of starvation after being denied foodgrains for want of Aadhaar

 

NEW DELHI: Finding a five-judge Constitution bench receptive to its narrative that lack of infrastructure for authentication of Aadhaar could deprive the poor of their rations and widows of pension, petitioners led by senior advocate Kapil Sibal upped the ante in the Supreme Court for an interim order staying the Centre's decision to make the unique identity mandatory. 

Justices A K Sikri and DY Chandrachud on Thursday prima facie found merit in Sibal's argument that lack of 24x7 electricity and internet facilities as well as machines in remote areas could lead to non-authentication of Aadhaar and denial of foodgrains and subsidies to the poor as well as pension to widows and senior citizens.

Justice Chandrachud asked, "In this state of affairs, where infrastructure for authentication of Aadhaar has not been provided everywhere, is it not required of the state to ensure that no one is denied her/his entitlement for want of Aadhaar authentication?"

Justice Sikri joined him and said, "Many persons below poverty line might not be knowing that in case of authentication failure, he can still get his entitlement by giving reference to his Aadhaar number. The government should take care of this."

In the absence of attorney general K K Venugopal, additional solicitor general Tushar Mehta and senior advocate Rakesh Dwivedi took the bench through the Aadhaar Act to show that no one could be denied benefits under government welfare schemes for want of authentication as they could get their entitlement by merely producing the Aadhaar number.

Sibal pointed out that the ground situation was that widows were denied pension and several people had died of starvation after being denied foodgrains for want of Aadhaar. Venugopal rushed into the court and joined Mehta and Dwivedi to counter Sibal, who had by now sensed an opportunity and pushed for an interim order, which the SC had refused twice last year.

C JI Dipak Misra doused the excitement and clarified, "We are in the midst of a marathon argument on petitions challenging the constitutional validity of Aadhaar. We will deal with the issue keeping in mind the petitioners' argument on exclusion of persons from socially beneficial sche- mes run by governments. We can't get into an interim order at this stage. We have not yet taken into account what statistics and explanations the government presents on this issue. We will hear the arguments from both sides and pass appropriate orders."

Prior to enactment of Aadhaar Act, 2016, Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) functioned under the Planning Commission, now Niti Aayog. When Sibal said "all these started in 2009" (when UPA government was in power and of which Sibal was a part), Justice Sikri in said in a lighter vein, "Then only (Shyam) Divan can complain against Aadhaar, not you (Sibal)." Arguments will continue on Tuesday.

TTE gives mouth-to-mouth CPR to save life of 63-year-old passenger

Arvind.Chauhan@timesgroup.com

Agra: A travelling ticket examiner (TTE) saved the life of a 63-year-old passenger who suffered cardiac arrest while travelling in the Puri-Haridwar Utkal Express.

On Thursday morning, the Good Samaritan, 35-year-old TTE Aftab Ahmed Khan received an alert about an unconscious passenger travelling in the Utkal Express. As soon the train reached Agra Cantt station, Khan with the help of other passengers took out the victim, placed him on a bench at the platform and started giving CPR.

Khan told TOI: “The passenger was heavily sweating and was not able to breathe. Since I had seen such patients’ rescue operations on the web, without wasting a single second, I gave the patient CPR which included chest compressions and mouth-to-mouth.”

The TTE added, “As soon as I realised that the patient had revived, I informed my seniors and called Dr Mamta Shukla, the on-duty doctor, to take the patient to hospital for further treatment,” Khan said.

The passenger who had suffered cardiac arrest was identified as Mohammad Shamim, a resident of Jhansi who was travelling along with his wife Shaheen to Agra for her medical check-up. He is a retired BHEL employee. Shamim is now admitted to the ICU of a private hospital.