E-registration will replace e-pass, govt. tells court

E-registration will replace e-pass, govt. tells court

Passes will still be needed to visit hill stations

14/10/2020

Legal Correspondent CHENNAI

The State government has decided to replace the existing system of issuing e-passes to those travelling from other States or countries with e-registration, Advocate General Vijay Narayan told the Madras High Court on Tuesday.

The Advocate General told the first Division Bench of Chief Justice Amreshwar Pratap Sahi and Justice Senthilkumar Ramamoorthy that the restrictions on visits to hill stations alone would continue, since those places were short on medical infrastructure.

After hearing him, the judges directed the State government to write to the Centre seeking a clarification as to whether imposition of such restrictions could continue on visits to hill stations and then publicise the reply through the media.

‘Basic details’

According to the A-G, the e-registration would require travellers to provide only basic details for the purpose of contact tracing.

On the other hand, e-passes to hill stations would be issued only to those who have an address there and not to tourists.

Unlike the plains, the medical facilities in hill stations were very limited. Hence, permitting tourists might lead to a spike in the number of COVID-19 cases and they might not be able to cope with such a situation, he said.

Self-regulation

The A-G also said at present, the only way to contain the spread of the pandemic was through self-regulation. Yet, people did not seem to understand the importance of wearing masks and maintaining physical distance, he said.

He also brought it to the notice of the court that the number of new COVID-19 cases had been limited to 5,000 every day due to effective steps taken by the government, as against Kerala where the numbers had now risen to as high as 10,000 cases a day. Concurring with the A-G, the Chief Justice said people were indeed moving around in public places without masks as if the disease had vanished. He said people could feel safe only when a vaccine comes out.

Congress is a party without mental growth, says Kushboo

Congress is a party without mental growth, says Kushboo

The former Congress spokesperson had joined the BJP on Monday

14/10/2020

New role: Kushboo addressing the media in Chennai on Tuesday. R. Ragu

Special CorrespondentCHENNAI

The Congress is a party that has no thinking capacity and no mental development, former spokesperson of the party Kushboo Sundar, who joined the BJP, said on Tuesday.

Speaking to presspersons at the Chennai airport, Ms. Kushboo hit out at Tamil Nadu Congress Committee (TNCC) president K.S. Alagiri for his statement that the Congress had seen her only as an actor and that she did not have any thinking capability.

“One leader [L. Murugan] is trying to build a party convincing people that the BJP alone can do good for the country. Another leader [Alagiri] says I don’t have intelligence. So they came to know after six years of my hard work for the Congress that I don’t have intelligence?” Ms. Kushboo asked.

‘No criticism allowed’

She also said no one could criticise anything within the Congress party. “That’s a party where no one can even make criticisms internally. How can such a party be good for the country?” she asked. When presspersons asked if she would be able to make internal criticisms in the BJP, she said she believed that it was possible. “I have confidence that the BJP will not be like that [the Congress]. I will answer when that sort of a situation [where internal criticism is not allowed] arises,” she said.

Ms. Kushboo also said that her job as the opposition spokesperson was to criticise the government and its schemes as, politically and democratically, having an opposition is good for the country. “But I supported the NEP [National Education Policy] and the abolition of triple talaq. You cannot criticise everything just for the sake of being the opposition,” she said.

She further added that she had carried out her job as opposition spokesperson to the best of her abilities when she was with the Congress. “I was loyal to that party till the last day I was there,” she said.

On Mr. Alagiri’s criticism that she joined the BJP at the behest of her husband, director Sundar C., reportedly due to financial problems, she asked whether people had ever seen him at any of the events with her. “There is no such issue. The fact that they are making all these allegations show how terrible they are,” she said.

Actor says Raghavendra Mandapam has been vacant during the lockdown

Rajinikanth moves HC against tax demand

Actor says Raghavendra Mandapam has been vacant during the lockdown

14/10/2020

Rajinikanth

Mohamed Imranullah S. CHENNAI

Actor Rajinikanth has filed a writ petition in the Madras High Court challenging the demand of property tax to the tune of ₹6.50 lakh for his Raghavendra marriage hall located at Kodambakkam here.

His case against the demand made by the Greater Chennai Corporation for the half-yearly period, from April to September, has been listed for admission before Justice Anita Sumanth on Wednesday.

According to the case filed by the actor, through his counsel Vijayan Subramanian, he had been paying property tax regularly for the marriage hall.

The tax was paid last on February 14.

Subsequently the pandemic broke out, forcing the Centre and State governments to impose a lockdown. As a result, his marriage hall had remained vacant and was not rented to anyone since March 24.

In such circumstances, the actor received a property tax invoice from the Corporation on September 10, asking him to pay ₹6.50 lakh as property tax for the months April through September.

Cancellations

Stating that he had cancelled all bookings for his marriage hall after March 24 and even refunded the advance money in accordance with the government instructions, the actor said he was entitled to vacancy remission on property tax.

He pointed out that Section 105 of the Chennai City Municipal Corporation Act of 1919 provides for remission of tax if the premises remained vacant for over 30 days and insisted on according the benefit to him. The actor also said he had sent a notice in this regard to the Corporation on September 23 but there was no reply till

Dalit girl from Anitha’s village to study medicine

Dalit girl from Anitha’s village to study medicine

14/10/2020

R. Rajaram TIRUCHI

Three years after S. Anitha of Kuzhumur in Ariyalur district ended her life, unable to get an MBBS seat through NEET, the dream of another girl hailing from the village of studying medicine has become a reality.

Daughter of daily wage earners Shankar and Dhanalakshmi, S. Soundarya will fly to the Philippines to pursue medical education free of cost at Davao Medical Education School Foundation, thanks to a private sponsor. Besides the expenditure for her education, her boarding, food and transport expenses during the period of her study will be sponsored by Transworld Educare Private Limited.

Soundarya’s ambition to become a doctor came to be known to Anitha’s brother S.A Manirathnam, who is running a charitable trust in memory of his sister at the village. “The medical institute’s office at Mahabalipuram near Chennai, which wanted to help a poor girl pursue medicine in memory of Anitha, got in touch with me. That was when I told them about Soundarya’s ambition and her poor economic background,” said Mr. Manirathnam, managing trustee of Dr. Anitha Memorial Charitable Trust.

A representative from the institute in Chennai came to Kuzhumur a few days ago and interacted with Mr. Manirathnam and Ms. Soundarya to ascertain the girl’s wish. Ms. Soundarya had completed Plus Two in a higher secondary school at Kuzhumur with 410 out of 600 marks.

Presumed dead, relatives put aged man in freezer

Presumed dead, relatives put aged man in freezer

He was found alive, rescued

14/10/2020

STAFF REPORTER SALEM

An elderly man who was presumed dead by relatives was put in a freezer for over 12 hours, before being rescued by emergency responders here.

According to police, Balasubramania Kumar (74) lives with his sibling, Saravanan, and the latter’s family near Kandhampatti.

Mr. Kumar was undergoing treatment for various age-related ailments and his health condition had deteriorated on Monday.

Taking him for dead, Saravanan ordered for a freezer box and placed the “body” in it around 9 p.m on Monday and made arrangements for funeral on Tuesday.

However, the persons who came to collect the freezer box on Tuesday found Mr. Kumar’s toes moving and alerted the police and 108 ambulance service.

Medical technicians in the ambulance checked Mr. Kumar’s pulse and found him to be alive.

He was then rushed to Government Mohan Kumaramangalam Medical College Hospital and rescued. Sooramangalam police are investigating.

Family members reportedly told the police that they thought he was dead, and, therefore put him in the freezer.

How can govt. seek money to set up PHC in a village: HC

How can govt. seek money to set up PHC in a village: HC

14/10/2020

Special Correspondent Bengaluru

Is the policy the government compelling the villagers to provide two-acres of land and deposit ₹1 lakh if they want a primary health centre (PHC) in their village is justified when the citizens have right to protection of health? The Karnataka High Court posed this question to the State government during the hearing of a a PIL petition, filed by H.K. Ramchanandra and five others. The petitioners wanted a PHC in their village of Jodihocihalli of Kadur taluk in Chikkamagalur district.

A Division Bench comprising Chief Justice Abhay Shreeniwas Oka and Justice Ashok S Kinagi said the policy of the Government villagers requiring to provide two acres of land and deposit ₹1lakh for a PHC appears to be unjust when the citizens right to health care as per the interpretation the apex court’s judgements on the right to protection of life and personal liberty guaranteed under Article 21 of the Constitution.

Earlier, Vijayakumar A Patil, a government counsel, in response to Court’s query on whether there exists any policy to establish PHCs, said that the policy framed, in 1987, stated that the residents of a village, having population more than 30,000, were required to deposit ₹lakh and give two acres of land free of encumbrance for constructing a building if they wanted the Government to set up a PHC their village.

The villagers were also required to provide temporary building till permanent building for PHC till permanent building is constructed, it was stated on behalf of the Government while pointing out a sub-centre of PHC is esblished in a place having population of 5,000 and Community Health Centres (CHCs) is established in an having population of one lakh.

Meanwhile, Mr. Patil assured the Court that the Government will reconsider the policy as it was framed several years ago.

Letter to Centre based on my proposal to CM: Surappa

Letter to Centre based on my proposal to CM: Surappa

- The Times Of India  14.10.2020 

Facing fire from opposition parties over his letter to the Centre on Institute of Eminence (IoE) status for Anna University where he had stated that the university can generate ₹314 crore per year (₹1,570 crore for five years) on its own through internal accruals, vice-chancellor M K Surappa on Tuesday told Ragu Raman  that he had presented that proposal to the CM and group of ministers before sending it in a letter to the Centre. “Based on my proposal, the chief secretary sent a letter to MHRD giving in-principle approval for IoE status. I merely followed the implementation of his letter. I am duty bound to follow it,” he said. While the DMK, Congress, AMMK and MDMK demanded the removal of the VC alleging that he had acted without the state’s consent, DMK chief MK Stalin called it an attempt by Surappa and the Centre to saffronise the university. While the opposition said TN had not received any assurances on 69% quota, the VC said the MHRD had assured that IoE status will not change quota policy or the university’s governance structure.

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