For snakes, city is not an alien habitat

The reptiles are found in commodes, two-wheelers and septic tanks

13/09/2019, VIVEK NARAYANAN,CHENNAI

The notion that snakes, especially cobras and vipers, are mostly found in villages and forests far away from the city has been shattered by the number of rescues the Chennai Wildlife Division has carried out recently. They have been rescuing reptiles from different places, including commodes, bikes and septic tanks.

While close to 6,300 reptiles, animals and birds have been rescued from the city in the financial year 2018-2019, a large number of them, close to 2,700, are snakes.

“Apart from the non-poisonous rat snakes that are found commonly, we were surprised to find cobras, saw-scaled vipers, Russell vipers and kraits inside the city,” said C.H. Padma, Chennai Wildlife Warden.

100 calls a day

The wildlife helpline number (044-22200335) receives around 100 calls per day, and the majority of them concern snakes. Most often, reptiles are rescued from areas such as Adyar, Mylapore, Mandaveli, Sholinganallur, Muttukadu, Ambattur, Anna Nagar, Koyambedu, Valasaravakkam, Vadapalani, Moolakadai, Manali, Ennore and Tiruvottiyur.

Snakes crawl out of holes mostly during peak summer, or are washed out during the monsoon, officials said.

“In the last one month, when the city experienced some rain, we rescued close to 100 snakes. Some of the reptiles were hiding in bathrooms,” said a wildlife personnel.

Wildlife officials have been preparing themselves for the monsoon from October. As they only have a 15-member rescue team for the entire city, they are planning to rope in members from the Irula tribe to rescue snakes. “Considering the number of animals rescued from the city, we need more volunteers and manpower for the Department,” said a staff member.

Shravan Krishnan, an animal activist, said snakes have always been living in the city. “The city is expanding and, as more construction is taking place in the outskirts, snakes are coming in conflict with human beings,” he said.

He added that after rat snakes, cobras were rescued the most. Russel vipers, kraits and green vine snakes are also saved, but not very commonly. “Cobras have a habitat similar to rat snakes. They are found inside the city. Vipers are most often found in the fringes of the city, like Ambattur and Madhavaram,” he added.

Hospital needed

Staff from the Wildlife Department, and animal activists, said there was a need to set up an exclusive hospital for the rescued animals.

“The animals, birds and reptiles rescued from the city are taken to the rehabilitation centre attached to the Aringnar Anna Zoological Park. But most often, they die, as it is located far away. Hence, there is an urgent need to set up such a facility for animals inside the city,” added an official.

IRCTC plans a slew of goodies for Tejas Express

It will pay Railways lease, haulage fees

13/09/2019, YUTHIKA BHARGAVA,NEW DELHI

The Mumbai-Ahmedabad Tejas Expess is likely to start operations this December.

The Delhi-Lucknow Tejas Express will be the first train that will not be operated by the Railways, perhaps as early as the first week of October.

The Ministry of Railways plans to allow private players to operate certain trains, and as part of its 100-day agenda, the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) has been asked to run two trains. The second, the Mumbai-Ahmedabad Tejas Expess, is likely to start operations this December.

To make the travel attractive, on offer are: free travel insurance worth ₹25 lakh, on-board infotainment services, doorstep baggage collection, local food and no tatkal quota. IRCTC, a public sector undertaking, will pay the Railways lease and haulage charges for running these trains. However, the loco-pilots, guards and station masters will be from the Railways.

RAJIV KILLING CASE

HC refuses to extend Nalini’s parole further

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Chennai:13.09.2019

The Madras high court on Thursday refused to further extend the parole granted to Nalini Sriharan, a life convict in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case.

She has been out of prison on ordinary leave since July 25 to make arrangements for her daughter’s marriage. Nalini was initially granted leave only for a month which was later extended to one more month on her request. Since her leave was going to expire on September 19, she had moved the present plea seeking further extension.

Refusing to accept her application, a division bench of Justice M M Sundresh and Justice R M T Teekaa Raman said, “We have already granted enough leave. It cannot be extended any further. We cannot go beyond the rule and keep extending the leave. We have already used our discretion and granted leave twice. But this time we cannot consider the request.”

The state government had also opposed the plea contending that Nalini is coming up with some reason or the other for extension every time the parole expires.

Recording the same, the court said everyone has some problem, but we cannot help anymore and suggested the petitioner’s counsel M Radhakrishnan withdraw the plea. Accepting the suggestion, the advocate agreed to take back the petition.

In the plea, Nalini stated that her mother-in-law was arriving from Sri Lanka since her presence was essential to complete the marriage arrangements and requested the court to extend the parole till then so that she can handover her responsibilities.

Bizwoman, 50, hangs self at her Nungambakkam house

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Chennai:13.09.2019

Reeta Lankalingam, joint chairman of Lanson Toyota, a car dealership firm, committed suicide at her residence in Nungambakkam on Thursday, police said. She was 50.

Reeta’s husband Lankalingam Murugesu is the chairman of the firm. He was not at home when she ended her life. There were four maids and a security guard at the residence. Reeta was in a bedroom on the first floor. Since she didn’t turn up for breakfast at 7am, her usual time, the maids knocked on her door.

Reeta’s childhood friend Mekala, who lives on Sterling Road, tried to reach her mobile. As she didn’t answer, Mekala became suspicious and visited the house. The maids informed her that Reeta didn’t turn up for breakfast. Mekala, accompanied by the maids and a security guard, went to Reeta’s bedroom. They found her hanging from the ceiling.

Later, they informed her husband and police. A team from the Nungambakkam police station rushed to the house. Meanwhile, residents took Reeta to a hospital on Greams Road where she was declared dead on arrival. She used a sari to commit suicide, police said. Police registered a case of unnatural death under Section 174 of CrPC.

Nungambakkam assistant commissioner of police Muthuvel Pandi, who visited Reeta’s residence, said, “We didn’t find any suicide note. We will inquire with the family members to identify the reason for the suicide.”

Preliminary inquiries revealed that the couple attended a board meeting at their firm’s corporate office in Teynampet on Wednesday.

Some of those who attended the meeting told the investigation officers that the couple had a spat during the meeting when Reeta demanded that an employee in the administration section be sacked, though it was rejected by Lankalingam.

The couple apparently continued their fight after they returned home and in a fit of anger Lankalingam stormed out of the house on Wednesday evening and never returned. During questioning, he told police that he stayed at a hotel and added that he tried to contact his wife on Wednesday night and on Thursday morning.

Police said they seized Reeta’s cellphone, which will be examined to check her activity before she took the extreme step.

The couple’s son Sivanka and his family reside elsewhere in the city, while their daughter Malavika lives abroad with her family. Apart from the car dealership, the family is into other businesses, as well as into exports.

TRAGIC END: Residence of Reeta Lankalingam (below), joint chairman of Lanson Group, in Nungambakkam

FAILING SYSTEM

NO ONE KILLED SUBASHREE

No Permission Given In Past One Year To Erect Hoardings, Say Corpn & Cops. But How Did One Crop Up And Kill Techie?

Komal.Gautham@timesgroup.com  13.09.2019

There has been public anger, petitions from social activists and a Madras high court order banning them, but hoardings continue to be everywhere. Hailing politicians, announcing a wedding, celebrating a first birthday or mourning a death, they are ubiquitous. No enforcement agency takes them off the road, nor are officials pulled up for their chronic inaction.

At times the government sends out press releases and threatens to slap fines and take action, but matters do not proceed further. In reports filed by corporation officials, violators are seldom named.

On Thursday, 24-year-old techie R Subashree died after an illegal hoarding erected on the median along the Pallavaram-Thoraipakkam Radial Road by AIADMK functionary S Jayagopal fell on her. The woman was on her way home from work. Almost two years ago, a software engineer died in Coimbatore after his bike rammed a wooden structure set up by the ruling party.

While Jayagopal refused to take multiple calls from TOI, officials from Greater Chennai Corporation said no permission had been issued for erection of banners since December 2018 when a blanket ban was imposed by the Madras high court. The police too said they had not issued NOCs in the past one year. Yet the authorities were not able to say how these hoarding crop up. All eyes now will be on the high court that will hear on Friday a pending contempt petition moved before it by activist ‘Traffic’ K R Ramaswamy against the TN chief secretary for failing to implement the court direction on unauthorised digital banners.

K Kathirmathiyon, an activist who has filed several public interest litigations with the Madras high court regarding illegal hoardings, said while the civic body might conduct random drives and remove these banners, it should be held accountable.

“Unless cases are filed against officials for not enforcing rules, there will be no change. Pulling up the public for non-compliance won’t solve the problem, both are responsible. Not a single bureaucrat is ever punished whenever such an incident takes place. We have suggested to the government to slap 304(A) on bureaucrats and officials when such accidents take place and illegal hoardings are set up,” he said.

R Lalitha, joint commissioner, revenue, corporation, said since December last year, the civic body has booked 471 cases online against people who have erected illegal banners. “We had held a meeting in March where we told political parties not to set up hoardings,” she said.

But corporation officials at the zonal level said such exercises were futile as whenever they try to remove banners and hoardings, they face departmental action. “One officer was transferred last year because he wanted to implement the high court order and remove illegal political banners in T Nagar,” said an engineer. He said police also refuse to file FIRs.

The drive against hoardings is not new. “In 2012, the Supreme Court and Madras high court had said that hoardings should not be set up on medians. Earlier, the medians were constructed by private parties and they placed advertisements for revenue generation. But due to this order, it was stopped immediately. A government order was issued to remove all advertisement boards and hoardings,” said Kathirmathiyon. But the government is yet to do that.

UP IN ARMS: Motorists protest against illegal hoardings erected by an AIADMK functionary in Pallikaranai. One of the hoardings fell on a techie and led to her death

WHAT BAN?

Hoardings and banners are a common sight in Chennai despite a blanket ban. Most of the offenders are from political parties against whom authorities don’t act

Techie dies after illegal banner crashes on her

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Chennai:13.09.2019

Illegal hoardings claimed their first victim in Chennai on Thursday. A software engineer riding home after work was knocked off her bike and came under the wheels of a water tanker when a flex banner erected for the marriage of an AIADMK functionary’s son crashed on her near Pallikaranai on Pallavaram-Thoraipakkam Radial Road.

R Subashree, 24, who worked with a software firm at Kanthanchavadi, was on her way home to Nemilichery, Chromepet, after finishing her 6am to 2pm shift, when the banner that had been put up illegally fell on her. In the impact, the woman fell from her bike and the water tanker which was behind her ran over Subashree.



LURKING DANGER: The flex was erected on Pallavaram-Thoraipakkam Road for the marriage of an AIADMK functionary’s son

In few months, she was to go to Canada

Subashree, who was to go to Canada in a few months, was rushed to a nearby private hospital where she died of injuries. Witnesses said that a few men carried her nearly 100 meters before they got an autorickshaw to take her to hospital.

The banner was one of several erected by a former AIADMK councillor Jayagopal for his son’s wedding. Soon after the incident, people tore up the hoardings that lined the stretch — there were not less than 50 banners and hoardings. AIADMK workers were also seen hurriedly taking down some of the banners.

Police first slapped a case of negligent driving on lorry driver Manoj Yadav, 28, of Kilpauk. A second case was later filed against Jayagopal based on the complaint of Amalraj, assistant engineer of division 188 of Chennai corporation. Police have registered the case under the Section 4 of The Tamil Nadu Open Places (Prevention of Disfigurement) Act, 1959.

Meanwhile, the Chennai corporation has also registered a separate case against the AIADMK functionary for installing a illegal banner on the road without permission. They slapped a case under Section 326 of the Chennai City Municipal Corporation Act, 1919. Activist ‘Traffic’ S Ramasamy too has lodged a formal complaint demanding police file cases against AIADMK workers, corporation officials and police personnel for allowing illegal banners on the road.

‘Caring child’ can get parents’ property: SC

AmitAnand.Choudhary@timesgroup.com

New Delhi:13.09.2019

If parents transfer property to an offspring who took care of them in old age, it cannot be assumed that the individual exerted undue influence on them to corner a bigger share of property and dispossessed his or her siblings, the Supreme Court has ruled in a dispute dating to 1970.

Adjudicating a property dispute among brothers, a bench of Justices Navin Sinha and Indira Banerjee said drawing such a conclusion without requisite evidence would have undesirable consequences as people who take care of aged parents would be at the receiving end from siblings who chose to be less dutiful. The court said the offspring who receives a larger inheritance cannot be subjected to a “reverse burden of proof” to establish that they looked after their parents only with the objective of extracting a large share of property.

‘There is bound to be more affinity between elder members & those who look after them’

The SC said there is bound to be more affinity between elder members of the family and those who look after them day-today and if property is transferred to a caring person then inference of undue influence cannot be drawn. Such an implication could deter people from caring for their elders.

“In every caste, creed, religion and civilised society, looking after elders of the family is considered a sacred and pious duty. Nonetheless, today it has become a matter of serious concern. Parliament taking note of the same enacted the Maintenance and Welfare of Parents and Senior Citizens Act, 2007. We are of the considered opinion, in the changing times and social mores, that to straightaway infer undue influence merely because a sibling was looking after the family elder, is an extreme proposition which cannot be countenanced in the absence of sufficient and adequate evidence,” the court said.

“Any other interpretation by inferring a reverse burden of proof straightaway on those who were taking care of the elders, as having exercised undue influence, can lead to very undesirable consequences. It may not necessarily lead to neglect, but can certainly create doubts and apprehensions leading to lack of full and proper care under the fear of allegations with regard to exercise of undue influence,” it said.

In the case under consideration, the siblings fought for close to five decades after the father transferred property to one of them in 1970. The father died a year after and the sale deed was challenged by other members of the family, alleging it was done fraudulently by deceit and under undue influence because of old age and infirmity of the deceased who was living with him.

CANDID TALK