Poison on your plate

New report from food regulator comes as a shock to residents of Tamil Nadu

Published: 28th November 2019 06:25 AM |

By B ANBU SELVAN

Express News Service

CHENNAI: FOOD Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) on Tuesday dropped a bombshell saying over 45 per cent of food samples taken for study last year in Tamil Nadu did not meet the required standards with 12.7 % coming up as adulterated and unsafe for consumption.

While FSSAI report on National Milk Safety and Quality Survey released last month revealed the name of toxic contents in samples, the regulatory body has not mentioned the hazardous content in the samples.
However, the report noted that Disease Burden Epidemiology Reference Group of World Health Organisation has identified 31 food-borne hazards.

“The group has found that frequent causes of food-borne illness are diarrhoeal disease agents, particularly norovirus and Campylobacter spp,” the report said.

Organisms from cattle
“The samples mostly get adulterated because of organisms found in cattle and agriculture field. However, some samples may also contain chemicals used in the local market,” said a food safety officer.
The food regulator blamed the absence of food testing labs and inadequate enforcement authorities for poor quality.

While food safety officials remained tight-lipped on the names of food items, they said steps are being taken to increase vigil and promote hygienic practices among farmers and traders.
On Tuesday, TN Foodgrain Merchants' Association submitted a petition to Agricultural Production Commissioner Gagandeep Singh Bedi seeking government intervention in protecting merchants.

Association state president S P Jayaprakasam told Express that most of the food items which failed the quality test, including foodgrains, vegetables, fruits are contaminated by fertilizers and chemicals used by farmers. "The FSSAI should release a detailed report of the samples," he said.

Bihar woman gives birth in toilet of running train

Pinky Devi wants to name her baby after the train

28/11/2019, , P. SRIDHAR,KHAMMAM

Baby on wheels: The passenger and her newborn at the District Headquarters Hospital on Wednesday. G. N. Rao

Call it providence followed by prompt action. A pregnant woman passenger from Bihar delivered a baby girl in the toilet of the Chennai-bound Ganga Kaveri Superfast Express on the Dornakal-Khammam section early on Wednesday.

The woman, identified as Pinky Devi, aged around 25, of Chhapra in Bihar, developed labour pains soon after she went into a toilet in the S1 coach to attend nature’s call around 5.40 a.m. She delivered a baby girl in the toilet even as the train passed the Dornakal junction at the time.

First responders

The cleaning staff on board the train noticed the woman and her baby inside the toilet and soon alerted the Railway security control room personnel over phone.

In a swift response, the Railway Protection Force (RPF) personnel deployed a woman constable Sashikala, along with Childline (1098) volunteers, who attended to the woman and her newborn infant after the train reached Khammam a little later.

The train was detained at the station for six minutes to facilitate shifting the mother and child into a 108 ambulance. The ambulance staff rendered first aid to the duo before shifting them to the District Headquarters Hospital.

Ms. Devi expressed her wish to name her baby after the train.

Man files plaint against wife for rash driving

28/11/2019,SHIVAMOGGA

A man from Hebri in Karnataka’s Udupi district, who was in a four-wheeler that met with an accident in Shivamogga district on Tuesday, has lodged a complaint against his wife for alleged rash driving. Near Ramachandrapur, the woman lost control of the vehicle owing to which it fell into a roadside ditch. Three persons in the vehicle, including the couple’s son, were injured in the accident. In the complaint the man has alleged that the accident took place owing to rash driving of his wife.

A.P. mahila panel chief seeks action against director Bhagyaraj

28/11/2019, SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT,VIJAYAWADA

K. Bhagyaraj

Taking strong exception to actor-director K. Bhagyaraj’s alleged misogynistic and sexist remarks in the Pollachi rape case, Andhra Pradesh Mahila Commission’s Chairperson Vasireddy Padma, has written to her Tamil Nadu counterpart demanding strict action against him.

Referring to the actor’s alleged statement that “boys are not the only ones responsible for rapes”, Ms. Padma questioned as to how could one blame a woman for her rape. She said people like Mr. Bhagyaraj should explain the logic behind incidents of rape and murder of very young children, sometimes even toddlers.

Ms. Padma said on the one hand governments, women’s organisations, the police and the judiciary were sincerely trying to control the rising atrocities against women and on the other, ‘celebrities’ like him made such insensitive remarks.

She said the governments should deal sternly with such people and urged the film industry in Tamil Nadu to react to it.

544 stations in Southern Railway get high speed Wi-Fi

Facility will help people from smaller stations connect with web world

28/11/2019, S. VIJAY KUMAR,CHENNAI

Besides the 544 stations, the free Wi-Fi service has been provided also at wayside stations where trains are scheduled to stop. file photo

Southern Railway has commissioned free Wi-Fi services at 544 railway stations in Tamil Nadu and Kerala as part of the Digitial India initiative.

The high-speed internet facility will not only serve as a value addition to passenger services, but also connect people visiting smaller stations located in rural areas in these States to the web world.

The nationwide programme of providing free Wi-Fi at over 5,000 stations in association with Tata Trusts, Google and RailTel was expedited in the 100-day programme of Railway Minister Piyush Goyal.

Southern Railway was among a few zones that achieved the target, thanks to the 4,900-km long optical fibre cable already in place.

The number of stations covered under the free Wi-Fi mission increased from 282 in March 2019 to 544 this year. Besides all major stations, the facility has been provided in almost all wayside stations that have a scheduled stoppage of trains.

The Wi-Fi services would be available at select zones on the railway station premises and passengers will have to connect to the RailWire network and enter their ten-digit mobile number for obtaining a one time password that would activate the internet service.

NMR covered

“While waiting for the train, passengers can do their office work, download a movie or e-book apart from utilising the Wi-Fi for other internet-enabled services. Provision of free high-speed internet at smaller stations located in rural pockets is to connect the people to digital technology,” Principal Chief Signal and Telecommunication Engineer, Southern Railway, S. K. Goel said. Mr. Goel said eight stations along the Mettupalayam-Ooty Nilagiris Mountain Railway were covered under the programme to facilitate tourists access internet in the heritage route. “There are many success stories where the Wi-Fi brought about a change in the lives of those who could not have accessed high-speed internet otherwise. For instance, Helen Jose, an autorickshaw driver of Kollam, downloads study material for her school-going son almost everyday while waiting for passengers.

K. Sreenath, a railway porter at Ernakulam, used Wi-Fi regularly to download study materials and he cleared a competitive exam with 82 per cent score.”

While providing access to the internet was a passenger service and a social obligation, the mission was vulnerable to abuse. RailTel would store the data of users for at least six months. “We will storing the digital footprints and also the closed-circuit television footage that covers the Wi-Fi access areas. The data would be useful in the event of a case of cybercrime reported on railway premises using the free internet facility,” he said.

Temple priest in Chidambaram fears arrest in assault case

Dikshitar files anticipatory bail petition again, denies attacking woman devotee

28/11/2019, LEGAL CORRESPONDENT,CHENNAI

Nataraj Ganesh alias Dharsan, the hereditary Dikshitar (priest) of the Natarajar Temple in Chidambaram, has filed an anticipatory bail petition for the second time in the Madras High Court in a case booked against him for having allegedly assaulted and abused a woman devotee when she insisted on performing puja properly.

Justice C.V. Karthikeyan on Wednesday directed a government counsel to obtain instructions from the Chidambaram Town police and adjourned the petition to December 3.

The priest’s first advance bail petition was dismissed as withdrawn on Monday for not mentioning the crime number. Therefore, he preferred the second petition with identical averments.

According to the prosecution, S. Latha, a nurse serving in a primary health centre in Ayyankudi, visited the temple along with her family on November 16 to perform a puja on the occasion of of her son’s birthday.

However, the Dikshitar, in a hurry to go home, allegedly did not even utter the name of her son before chanting the mantras. When she questioned him about it, he reportedly slapped the woman. Acting on her complaint, the police booked a case under Sections 323 (causing hurt voluntarily) and 294b (using obscene words) of Indian Penal Code. They also invoked the provisions of the Tamil Nadu Prohibition of Women Harassment Act of 1998.

Complainant’s stand

Denying all the allegations, the petitioner claimed that the complainant had come to the temple along with some men and picked up a quarrel when he was performing the last puja of the day before closing the temple.

She insisted that the puja in the name of her son should be performed once again because she did not hear the priest recite the mantras. When the petitioner refused to repeat the puja, she tried to “raised her hand towards this petitioner and in self-defence, the petitioner pushed her away,” the Dikshitar claimed.

Medical conference

28/11/2019, STAFF REPORTER,MADURAI

Members of the Madurai Obstetrics and Gynaecologists Association will host their 26th annual conference and workshop on ‘Newer frontiers in obstetrics and gynaecology’ from November 29 to December 1.

N. Sumathi, organizing chairperson of the conference, said the conference would provide space for obstetricians, gynaecologists and laparoscopic surgeons to offer a platform for skill enhancement to delegates. Collector T. G. Vinay would inaugurate the event. Federation of Obstetric and Gynaecological Societies of India president-elect Alpesh Gandhi and Madurai Medical College Dean J. Sangumani would be the chief guests.