Get the taste of a rustic Pongal

10/01/2020, STAFF REPORTER,MADURAI

The Tamil Nadu Tourism Department and the district administration are organising an experiential Pongal celebration for domestic and foreign tourists at Sri Janagai Narayana Perumal Temple in Sholavandan on January 15.

Tourists will be taken from the tourism office to Sholavandan where the villagers will give thema traditional welcome, after which they will get to see and experience a traditional Pongal festival, including making of sweet Pongal. It will be served to them following which cultural programmes, including Bharatnatyam and folk dance performance, will be held.

On January 17, the Tourism Department will take foreign tourists to Alanganallur to watch the jallikattu. They will be seated in the permanent gallery meant for foreign tourists.Tourists should register themselves at the District Tourism Office, No:1, West Veli Street, by submitting a copy of their passport. For details, call 0452 2334757 or mail to touristofficemadurai@gmail.com

DGCA suspends licences of two pilots

10/01/2020,MUMBAI

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation on Thursday announced the suspension of a GoAir expatriate commander for six months and the co-pilot’s licence for three months after they were found to be involved in a case of serious runway excursion in Bengaluru on November 11. The DGCA said the GoAir flight G8-811 from Nagpur to Bengaluru with 180 passengers on board was involved in a serious incident when the crew lost visual reference at about 50 feet above ground but continued to land in violation of norms.

Plea for 5% reservation in MBBS for students of Tamil medium

10/01/2020, LEGAL CORRESPONDENT, CHENNAI

The Madras High Court on Thursday ordered notices to the State government and Directorate of Medical Education (DME) on a public interest litigation petition that sought for reservation of 5% of seats in MBBS in the State for students who had done their schooling in Tamil medium.

Justices M. Sathyanarayanan and R. Hemalatha wanted to know the State’s response by February 20.

N. Murugesan, 50, of Dharmapuri had filed the PIL petition claiming that Tamil medium students do not get seats so easily in medical colleges despite clearing National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET).

Nirbhaya case: 2 convicts file curative pleas
10/01/2020, LEGAL CORRESPONDENT,NEW DELHI

Curative petitions were filed in the Supreme Court by two convicts in the Nirbhaya case on Thursday. The petitions come just days after a Delhi sessions court scheduled the execution of the four convicts at Tihar Jail on January 22.

Vinay Sharma and Mukesh, in separate curative petitions, said there had been a sea change in the death penalty jurisprudence. They argued that ignoring the subsequent changes in the law against the death penalty would be a “gross miscarriage of justice”.

A curative petition is a rare remedy devised by a Constitution Bench of the Supreme Court in its judgment in the Rupa Ashok Hurra case in 2002. A party can take only two limited grounds in a curative petition — one, that he was not heard by the court before the adverse judgment was passed, and two, the judge was biased. A curative petition, which follows the dismissal of a review petition, is the last legal avenue open for convicts in the Supreme Court.

Sharma was the first of the four convicts to file a curative petition, arguing that there had been “a change in the law on death sentence in India” since the death penalty was first confirmed for the Nirbhaya convicts in 2017.

Madurai: Actor Vadivelu harassing me for money: Producer

TNN | Jan 9, 2020, 04.19 AM IST

MADURAI: Tamil movie producer G Sathish Kumar, who produced the 2015 film ‘Eli’ starring comedian Vadivelu in the lead, accused the actor of harassing him by sending his men to demand money on Wednesday.

The Madurai-based producer, who is also into real estate business, claimed that Vadivelu sent his men on December 31 to threaten him for money. His manager Govindaraj had lodged a complaint with the K Pudur police. Police booked a man three people, including a woman, on charges of voluntarily causing injuries, threatening with dire consequences, scolding using bad words and criminal trespass. Vadivelu, however, has not been booked by the police.

Manikandan, who is believed that have visited the producer’s residence in Moondrumavadi, on behalf of Vadivelu, is among the persons booked. He allegedly went to Satish Kumar’s house on the pretext of giving a wedding invitation when Sathish Kumar was in Chennai. Manikandan and along with a few people allegedly threatened Govindaraj inquiring his employer’s whereabouts. They also beat him up when he questioned reason behind their visit, Sathish said.

Sathish also said that there had been disputes between him and the actor ever since the movie ‘Eli’ incurred heavy loses. “We had disputes over money for which we took the matter to court and it was to be settled amicably. However, now, these men have come and made death threats,” he said. CCTV footage from outside Sathish Kumar’s residence has also been submitted to the police which provided description of the accused.

Over 2 lakh cardholders get Pongal gift hampers on day 1

TNN | Jan 10, 2020, 04.02 AM IST

Madurai: Long queues were witnessed outside all 1,354 ration shops in the district from early in the morning on Thursday to receive the Pongal gift hampers, with more than two lakh beneficiaries receiving their gifts on the first day.

The Tamil Nadu government is distributing gift hampers of one kg of raw rice, cashewnuts, raisins, sugar, and Rs 1,000 cash to all beneficiaries of the rice card in the state for Pongal festival. While the programme was formally launched last Sunday by the ministers in each district, the distribution for public started on Thursday.

Many shops in the city witnessed squabbles between the people in the queues. While the beneficiaries were told that the names of the people would be displayed on the board outside the shops to prevent overcrowding, however confusion prevailed at many places.

In Villapuram, women and elderly people stood in long queues and were given tokens from as early as 6 am. “I stood in the queue from 6 am but got my gift only at 11 am, so I could not go to work,” said Shanthi, a resident.

It was announced that beneficiaries whose names appear on the ration card can come to the shop and receive the cash and gift hamper by producing the card or their Aadhaar as proof, many of them complained that it got delayed due to the serpentine queues.

“Last year, I went on a Sunday before the Pongal festival and was given only Rs 500, as they said cash, rice and other condiments were not available. So, I came on the first day this year, but have lost half my day’s pay waiting for this,” said Rajeswari of Karupayoorani.

Meanwhile, sources from the district administration said that Pongal gift hampers were issued to 2,23,437 rice cards in Madurai district out of the total 85,00,15, which is about 26%.

Eating from vendors on beaches, streets may become safer soon in Chennai

TNN | Jan 9, 2020, 04.14 AM IST

CHENNAI: Hot bajjis served on beaches or crispy hot dosas had at roadside stalls are set to become safer to eat if regulators in the city have their way.

In the last few weeks, at least 80 street food vendors on Elliot’s beach were taught about the need for food safety, what the Food Safety and Standard Act expects out of every food business unit, violations and punishments. At the end of the day, vendors who attended the camp were given Food Safety Training & Certification (FoSTaC). “If we have at least one certified personnel in every unit we will improve food quality and also emphasise that they follow all rules,” said A Ramakrishnan, designated food safety officer, Chennai.

For instance, street vendors on the beach were taught about the reuse of oil and safe way to dispose cooking oil. They were taught the importance of hand wash, food preservation and how things they use and their surrounding should be clean, he said.

Street food vendors will be given basic guidance including catering services. Under the FoSTaC programme, the regulator plans to train staff in the organised as well as unorganised sector. For street food vendors, anganwadi workers and Amma canteen staff, the authority is raising funds from people for the course. “We will be rolling out day-long training programmes for vendors on Marina and staff of Amma canteens soon,” another senior official said.

The course offers 17 types of competence-based certification programmes — each of 8 to 12-hour hour duration spread over a couple of days. Street vendors and aganwadi workers were given the basic course and training manuals. Most of the staff were also taught about where and how they should source ingredients and how they can check quality of the ingredients difference between edible oil/ghee and the cheap ones that are made for lighting lamps at temples.

Several studies by doctors’ bodies and nutritionists have shown high volumes of Ecoli coliform, salmonella, shigella, staphylococcus aureus and pseudomonas, which are major causes of infections such as diarrhoea, typhoid, food poisoning, urinary tract infections and pneumonia. Food safety training teaches the importance of handwash, which keep a majority of these infections at bay, officials said.