T.N. rolls out ration card portability

24/01/2020, DENNIS S. JESUDASAN,CHENNAI

Ahead of the ‘One Nation, One Ration Card’ scheme expected to be rolled out by the BJP government at the Centre in June, the Tamil Nadu government has accorded administrative approval for the implementation of intra-State portability of ration cards.

The scheme enables ration cardholders to purchase foodgrain from any fair price shop in the State. The intra-State portability would be introduced in Thoothukudi and Tirunelveli districts on a pilot basis and then be rolled out across the State, a G.O. issued by the Cooperation, Food and Consumer Protection Department said.

Presently, there are 35,233 fair price shops run by various agencies such as cooperatives, the Tamil Nadu Civil Supplies Corporation and women’s self-help groups, among others. A total of 9,635 of them are part-time shops. In all, 2,05,03,379 families have been provided with smart ration cards.

For effective portability of ration cards, the State government has instructed authorities to make a 5% additional allotment of essential commodities than the usual.

“For availing the facility, there should be a minimum distance between the existing shop and the commodity lifting shop. Hence, the existing shop to which the family card is attached and the shop from which the commodity is lifted should not be in the same revenue village in rural areas and not in the same ward in urban areas,” the order specified.

According to the Commissioner of Civil Supplies, the portability will be helpful to migrant labourers.

46 govt colleges get full-time principals

TNN | Jan 24, 2020, 04.56 AM IST

Trichy: The higher education department has appointed principals for 46 government arts colleges and colleges of education across the state.

This includes 14 constituent arts and science colleges functioning under various state universities that were recently converted into government colleges.

So far, the principals of nearby government colleges held additional charge of these colleges. With full additional charge given in July last year, there was a demand to appoint full-time principals to ensure effective administration.

An order issued on January 23 said that a total of 46 associate professors in various colleges have been promoted as principal grade – II in government arts colleges and colleges of education.

Associate professor, Government Arts College, Kumbakonam K Duraiarasan who is presently the controller of examination at Bharathidasan University has been appointed principal of Government Arts and Science College, Manalmedu.

With his appointment, the post of controller of examination has fallen vacant. Similarly, P S Vijayalakshmi, controller of examination, Periyar EVR College, Trichy has now been appointed as principal of Government Arts and Science College, Avinasi.

Parcels to New Delhi will be banned for 3 days ahead of Republic Day

TNN | Jan 23, 2020, 04.33 PM IST

SALEM: The Salem division of Southern Railway banned parcels to New Delhi ahead of Republic Day. The ban will be revoked after January 26.

Talking to media persons, the railway officials said that, security beefed up across the country to prevent any untoward incident. “As part of security arrangements, we have banned for parcel services to New Delhi to prevent untoward incidents,” the official said.

Usually, the parcels will be sent to New Delhi and Nijamudin from Salem and its surrounding stations including Erode, Tiruppur and Coimbatore.

The railway officials confirmed that essential commodities will not be covered and they will be sent to New Delhi as usual.

HC notice to state on cop’s petition against conviction

TNN | Jan 23, 2020, 04.13 AM IST

Madurai: Madras high court on Wednesday issued notice to the state government on a plea filed by a suspended sub-inspector of police challenging his conviction and awarding of life imprisonment by a lower court for wrongfully confining a man and shooting him dead with his service revolver in Ramanathapuram district in 2014.

Petitioner A Kalidass stated that he was an SI at S P Pattinam police station in Ramanathapuram district. On October 14, 2014, a person named Aruldass lodged a complaint against Syed Mohammed stating that the latter had tried to kill him for not handing over the bike which was given for repair. A case was registered by the S P Pattinam police and thereafter he instructed three policemen to secure the man from the mechanic workshop situated opposite to the police station.

Kalidass said Syed was under the influence of alcohol when he was brought for inquiry to his room and he attempted to assault him using a knife. He fired three rounds using his service revolver in self-defence and Syed died on the spot. He stated that a case was registered against him which was later transferred to CB-CID.

On November 14, 2019, the Ramanathapuram principal district and sessions court convicted and sentenced him to undergo life imprisonment for the offence under Section 302 (murder) of the IPC and imposed a fine of Rs 2lakh. He stated that currently he has been lodged at the Madurai central prison. He said the lower court had erroneously convicted him even though the prosecution has not proved its case beyond doubt.

City has hundreds of share autos, but only 7 have permits, finds RTI

TNN | Jan 23, 2020, 04.17 AM IST

Madurai: Only seven of the hundreds of ‘share’ autorickshaws running in the city, have been registered with the regional transport offices in Madurai, a RTI (Right to Information) reply has revealed.
General secretary of the Madurai Consumer Protection Centre, G Muniasamy, had filed the RTI to find out how many share autorickshaws of the total 12,223 three-wheel autos operating with permits in Madurai, had permits. 

There are three regional transport offices - Madurai South, Madurai North and Madurai Central - in Madurai, which are authorised to provide numbers starting with TN 58, TN 59 and TN 64. The reply to the RTI on share autos says that Madurai north has one share auto plying with a permit, Madurai south six and Madurai central none.

Founder of Makkal Vizhipunarvu Trust K Hakkim, said the RTI shows that there are only 12,223 autorickshaws in the city, but there should be at least 25000 vehicles operating on the city roads. Many of them are three-wheel ‘share’ autos which carry more than the permitted number of three passengers.

“Just stand in front of the Periyar bus stand, where work is underway. There will not be less than 30 share autos at any given time,” he said. Hence, these unauthorised vehicles are posing a risk to the public who travel in them, he added.

The three-wheel autos have permits to carry only three passengers at a time. But, many of them have been altered in the name of share autos, with a two-tier back seat at two levels and they carry more than 10 passengers at a time. “They are cheaper than mini buses and more convenient as they stop wherever we tell them to. So, I take these share autos regularly for just Rs 10 for a four km journey,” said A Selvarani of Anna Nagar.

RTO officials told TOI that the share autos which were given permits were those with five seats, and permission to carry five passengers at a time. “Many so called share autos are violating the rules when they carry more than three passengers. We impound not less than 50 to 100 vehicles per day, but we are not able to control the menace,” they acknowledged.

No word from Nirbhaya convicts on last meeting with parents

PTI | Jan 23, 2020, 06.59 PM IST

NEW DELHI: The four death row convicts in the Nirbhaya gang-rape case are yet to inform the Tihar jail authorities about when they want to meet their families for the last time or whom they want to will their property, officials said on Thursday, nine days ahead of their execution date set by a Delhi court.

The four convicts, Vinay Shrama (26), Akshay Kumar Singh (31), Mukesh Kumar Singh (32) and Pawan Gupta (25), who are lodged in separate cells of Jail No 3 where the execution will take place, are scheduled to be hanged at 6am on February 1.

"After the death warrants were issued, the convicts were asked when they would like to meet their respective families for the last time and if so, who all do they wish to meet. But none of them have responded yet," a senior jail official, elaborating about the procedure before executing death row convicts, said.

The official said the convicts were also asked if they would want to prepare their will, but they have not responded yet.

"The family of all the four convicts are allowed to meet them twice a week but the last date of meeting has not been fixed because they still have not responded," he said.

On Wednesday, in a plea filed by the Centre before the Supreme Court, the Ministry of Home Affairs said heinous crime convicts are taking the "judicial process for a ride".

They demanded fixing a seven-day deadline for execution of condemned prisoners after issuance of black warrant, amid the delay in the hanging of the four death row convicts in the Nirbhaya gangrape-murder case.

Dummy execution of the four death row convicts was performed in the prison last week.

The officials recorded the weights of the convicts and then prepared the dummies accordingly with sacks filled with debris and stones, a senior jail official said.

The execution will take place in Jail No 3, the official said, adding that the Uttar Pradesh Prison authority has confirmed that Pawan Jallad from Meerut will be sent to hang the four convicts.

The Tihar authorities had written to the Uttar Pradesh prison officials, seeking the services of two hangmen from the state for the execution.

All the four convicts are likely to hanged simultaneously. The jail authorities were also holding conversations with them on a daily basis to ensure that they were in a good mental state, the official said.

The 23-year-old paramedic student, referred to as Nirbhaya or fearless, was gang-raped and brutally assaulted on the intervening night of December 16-17, 2012 inside a moving bus in south Delhi by six persons before being thrown out on the road.

She died on December 29, 2012 at Mount Elizabeth Hospital in Singapore.

Ram Singh, one of the six accused, allegedly committed suicide in Tihar Jail. A juvenile, who was among the accused, was convicted by a juvenile justice board and was released from a reformation home after serving a three-year term.

No planes to fly, but smaller airports getting ready in Tamil Nadu

TNN | Jan 22, 2020, 11.54 AM IST

CHENNAI: Though the ministry of civil aviation is pushing a regional connectivity scheme to link Vellore, Thanjavur, Neyveli and Ramnad, authorities have said barring Thanjavur, none of the other airports is likely to be opened for flights.
“That too only if low cost carriers like IndiGo or SpiceJet show interest,” the official said.

Another official of Airports Authority of India (AAI) said as the ministry wants to upgrade infrastructure, Vellore is readying to obtain a licence, Neyveli airport is ready and work is on to equip Thanjavur airport.

“But no thought has gone into the fact that airlines don't have small nine seater planes to fly to Vellore and Neyveli... none of the airlines has expressed their intent to buy such small planes,” he said.

Data from the Rajya Sabha show that AAI has spent Rs 150 lakh to spruce up Vellore and Thanjavur airports in the last three years. Of this, Rs 132 lakh was spent for Vellore though no airline in the country has a 20-seater plane to operate a scheduled service. There is no mention of the money spent for Neyveli. AAI has listed this airport as loss-making.

AAI spent Rs 17 lakh in 2016-17, Rs 22 lakh in 2017-18 and Rs 93 lakh in 2018-19 readying Vellore airport.

Sources said that the “regional connectivity scheme was being promoted by offering airports but there was no incentive to encourage airlines to buy small flights to fly to these small airstrips. Maintenance of a few small aircraft only to fly to airports like Vellore or Neyveli will be unviable for airlines.”