Relief funds cross Rs 33 crore

The contributions for the ongoing restoration works in the districts affected by cyclone Gaja, handed over to Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami, crossed `33 crore on Tuesday.

Published: 28th November 2018 07:27 AM 

Villagers of Miriyapalli in Srikakulam district blocking the vehicle of an official on Saturday for the delay in provision of cyclone relief | Express

By Express News Service

CHENNAI : The contributions for the ongoing restoration works in the districts affected by cyclone Gaja, handed over to Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami, crossed Rs 33 crore on Tuesday. On Tuesday alone, contributions to the tune of Rs 10.68 crore including Rs 1 crore donation from the AIADMK given by party coordinator and Deputy Chief Minister O Panneerselvam, were handed over to the Chief Minister.

The details of other contributions are: Sanjay Jayavarthanavelu, chairman and managing director, Lakshmi Machine Works Limited, Coimbatore (Rs 1 crore), Chennai Petroleum Corporation Limited (Rs 50 lakh), Repco Bank employees (Rs 30 lakh), R Kannan Adityan, managing director, Malai Murasu (Rs 25 lakh) and Everwin Trust, Kolathur (Rs 31 lakh), among others.

Woman denied Aadhaar due to mix-up of bio-metric data

After multiple vain attempts to get an Aadhaar card, finally in 2018, she got to know the reason behind this.

Published: 28th November 2018 07:59 AM 

Aaadhar Card (File Image for representational purpose)

By Madhumitha Viswanath

Express News Service

CHENNAI : For the last five years, Prema Venkatesan has not been able to avail provident fund benefits from her office or apply for a bank loan as she does not have an Aadhaar card. But the reason for not having Aadhaar card is an unusual case of mix-up of bio-metric data between two family members — a clear case of administrative error.

Prema Venkatesan, a resident of Maduravoyal, has been unable to procure an Aadhaar ever since she and her family of four approached the local corporation office around October 2013 for issue of Aadhaar cards for all. Two months later, though all her family members got their respective cards, she did not get hers.

After multiple vain attempts to get an Aadhaar card, finally in 2018, she got to know the reason behind this. Officials at the e-Sevai centre at Alapakkam taluk office informed Prema that her fingerprints were wrongly imposed in the Aadhaar card issued to her father-in-law. “As I don’t have an Aadhaar card, I cannot collect my PF for which `500 was deducted every month for a period of three years I worked in a pharmaceutical company,” said 36-year-old Prema.


In March 2018, her father-in-law R Pavadai got a new Aadhaar card but Prema still didn’t receive hers. Even after five years, she is still unable to get an Aadhaar since her fingerprints have already been matched with another number. “Officials in the taluk office told us that first, they would cancel my father-in-law’s Aadhaar and after that, both will get new cards. Though he got his, I don’t have mine. In the name of Pavadai R, we have two cards now,” she said.

Further, the Aadhaar card issued for Pavadai in in 2014 has January 1, 1935 as his date of birth while the new card states his date of birth as September 12, 1946. Due to the goof-up, he stopped getting `1,000 as pension under the state government’s senior citizens pension scheme that he had been receiving since 2012. “After he got the new card, we have to apply once again to avail pension. For this, we need to visit the Ambattur taluk office. He is too old to travel. So we never applied for pension again,” said Prema.

Prema had re-applied for card thrice using Pavadai’s old Aadhaar number as her enrolment ID. As that also proved futile, she applied for a fresh card close to 10 times in the last five years. Two days ago when she called an Aadhaar helpline, an official from Bangalore asked her to write to them with the relevant documents and said it took one to two years for her to get a new card. “The official didn’t accept that it was the government’s mistake and instead blamed us for the mix-up of data. We have been running from pillar to post to rectify this but officials offer no help. Till she gets an Aadhaar card, no company is willing to offer her a job,” said Venkatesan P, Prema’s husband.

Owner of a local xerox shop in Maduravoyal had alerted an activist about Prema’s problem who, in turn, immediately informed officials through UIDAI’s official Facebook page about this. When Express contacted an official from UIDAI, he said, “An Aadhaar number must have been generated. If not, it will not appear as a duplicate. Seven years ago, we had many errors in the Aadhaar system but in the last two years, we have rectified the entire process. It is not possible for the lady’s fingertip to appear under her relative’s name. Using the enrolment ID, we can find out if a card was generated in the first place or not.”

Air India plane hits building at Stockholm airport, no casualties reported

The accident happened at 5:45 pm (1645 GMT), about 50 meters (yards) from Terminal 5, the main terminal for international flights. The cause of the accident was not immediately known, police said.

Published: 29th November 2018 05:11 AM |

For representational purposes (File | Reuters)

By AFP

STOCKHOLM: An Air India plane carrying 179 passengers struck a building at Stockholm's Arlanda airport with its wingtip as it taxied to gate on Wednesday, but no injuries were reported, police said.

"The 179 passengers could disembark from the plane on a mobile staircase and thereafter enter the terminal," police wrote in a statement.

The cause of the accident was not immediately known, police said.

It occurred at 5:45 pm (1645 GMT), about 50 meters (yards) from Terminal 5, the main terminal for international flights.


Pictures from the scene showed the Boeing aircraft parked on the runway with the very tip of its left wing stuck in the side of a building. Several police cars and fire trucks were parked by the plane.

According to airport operator Swedavia's website, the flight had originated in New Delhi.

Plus Two students suspended

SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT

COIMBATORE, NOVEMBER 29, 2018 00:00 IST

The Government Higher Secondary School for Boys, Valparai, has suspended 12 Plus Two boys for indiscipline.

According to School Education Department sources, the school acted against the boys for their behaviour during a scuffle that broke out among Plus Two students a few days ago during a football match.

The school summoned their parents, informed them of the boys’ behaviour and also invited local police personnel to give a talk on discipline.

Ten days

Nevertheless, to ensure that other students did not take a clue from the school not having acted against the students involved in the scuffle, the management decided to suspended them for 10 days.

DVAC has become virtually defunct, says HC

Mohamed Imranullah S.

CHENNAI, NOVEMBER 29, 2018 00:00 IST

Says no significant action was being taken against corrupt public officials

The Madras High Court on Wednesday expressed serious concern that the Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption (DVAC) had become virtually defunct in the State. No significant action was being taken against corrupt government officials who not only demanded and accepted bribes but also showed undue favours, a Division Bench of Justices M. Sathyanarayanan and P. Rajamanickam observed.

The judges expressed their concern to Advocate General Vijay Narayan during the hearing of a writ appeal preferred by Greater Chennai Corporation Commissioner against a single judge’s order to replace all police officials manning its vigilance cell.

The AG brought to the notice of the court that as of now one Deputy Superintendent of Police and two Inspectors of Police were managing the vigilance cell. Stating that all the three were efficient and diligent, he said there was no necessity to transfer them out and bring in new officials.

Study HC model

Surprised that the Corporation with an employee strength of around 17,000 (including labourers) had just three police officers to manage its vigilance cell, the senior judge in the Bench suggested that the Corporation could study the vigilance mechanism in place in the High Court and implement in the civic body too.

Being the chariman of the High Court’s vigilance committee, Mr. Justice Sathyanarayanan said there would be around 2,000 judicial officers and around 8,000 employees serving in the High Court as well as subordinate courts in the State. Yet, the court vigilance cell had two Superintendents of Police and host of other officers.

Whenever, a complaint was received against judicial officers or the court staff, discreet enquiries were conducted through the police officials as well as the court officers before initiating action. “The Registrar (Vigilance) of this court reports directly to the Chief Justice and not to any other judge,” he pointed out.

Wondering whether the Corporation officials cracked down even on a single unauthorised construction in the city on their own, the judge said a peep into the streets right opposite to the High Court campus would show how many unauthorised constructions were thriving merrily.

‘Not active at all’

Impressing upon the Corporation and other government arms to implement a stringent vigilance mechanism, the judge said, the DVAC in the State did not appear to be active at all.

“All that the DVAC has been doing is to write letters to the government departments recommending departmental action against the officials concerned,” he said.

Later, the Bench stayed the single judge’s order to transfer the vigilance cell officials of the Corporation and directed the latter to file a comprehensive report on the enforcement mechanism that had been put in place in the local body to keep a check on unauthorised constructions and act against them without any delay.

‘Performing my songs without prior authorisation is illegal’

STAFF REPORTER

CHENNAI, NOVEMBER 29, 2018 00:00 IST

Ilaiyaraaja 

Royalty has to be paid for money earned: Ilaiyaraaja

In a video, music composer Ilaiyaraja — who has been vocal about his intellectual property rights being continuously breached — appealed to musicians to not perform his songs without authorisation.

“Dear musicians, performing my songs without prior authorisation is illegal,” he said.

“You must understand that it is wrong to perform my songs illegally and I would like to inform that legal action will be taken against those who do so,” the music maestro said.

Composer Ilaiyaraja further said that royalty would be collected by the South Indian Film Musicians Association.

“The singers will also be included in this association,” he said.

‘Not against musicians’

He reiterated that he was not against other musicians singing his compositions.

“The royalty has to be paid for the money you earn by singing my songs,” Ilaiyaraja said.

“If you sing my songs for free, you need not pay royalty. If you take money to sing my songs for a concert, don’t I deserve a small part from that money?” he said.

He underlined that he was only asking a small amount.

He said he was doing so only because royalties as a concept ought to be formalised in the future.

Panels formed to probe charges against Raj Bhavan employees

Dennis S. Jesudasan

CHENNAI, NOVEMBER 29, 2018 00:00 IST

The committees can recommend names for compulsory retirement

The Tamil Nadu government on Tuesday constituted two committees, on the advice of Governor’s Secretariat, to look into the charges against Raj Bhavan staff and take up cases under the Tamil Nadu Fundamental Rules for compulsory retirement.

One committee with Secretary to the Governor as its chairperson and Public Secretary (or any officer nominated by him) and Deputy Secretary to Governor and Comptroller as its members would review the cases of Group A and B officials for compulsory retirement.

Another committee with Deputy Secretary to the Governor (Universities) as chairperson and Deputy Secretary to Governor and Comptroller and Under Secretary to Governor (Tours) would review the cases of Group C and D employees in the Raj Bhavan.

Rule 56 (2) Tamil Nadu Fundamental Rules and the State government’s guidelines deal with compulsory retirement of government staff and empower the State government to form panels to review cases of government servants (Group A,B,C & D) who lack integrity, takebribe habitually and those who are not in good condition physically and mentally.

Repeated complaints of corruption and the lack of potential to perform efficiently in the next three to five years are among the grounds for retirement.