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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›Full Q&A: P 4

New cases below 5,000 for second day - The Times Of India

New cases below 5,000 for second day - The Times Of India

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Chennai:14.10.2020

Fresh cases in Tamil Nadu dropped below 5,000 for the second consecutive day and deaths too dropped below 60 on Tuesday. The 4,666 new cases pushed the case tally to 6,65,930. The 57 deaths took the cumulative death toll to 10,371. Active cases too dropped to 43,239.

Chennai, the worst affected district, reported 1,164 cases, the highest in the state, followed by Coimbatore (398) and Salem (277). Two other districts that reported cases above 200 were Chengalpet (252) and Tiruvallur (236). Seven districts reported less than 50 cases – Ariyalur and Karur reported 36 cases each, Kallakurichi and Tenkasi 31 each, Ramanathapuram 17, Sivaganga 16 and Perambalur five.

While 17 districts reported zero deaths, Chennai reported 13 and Coimbatore five. Three districts, Chengalpet, Tiruppur and Tirupattur, reported four deaths each; three others, Cuddalore, Krishnagiri and Salem, had three deaths each. Five districts reported two deaths each and six districts reported one death each.

The average case fatality rate was 1.6% in the state, but four districts had death rate above 2% -- Tiruppur (2%), Ramanathapuram (2.1%), Sivaganga (2.2%) and Madurai

(2.3%). The lowest rates were in Nilgiris (.6%), Villupuram (.8%), Tuticorin (.9%) and Dharmapuri (.9%).

The 11 districts in the north together reported 49% of the fresh cases and 33% of deaths. They reported 2,311 new cases and 33 deaths including 1,781 fresh cases and 21 deaths in the Chennai region.

The western districts reported 1388 fresh cases, while the south and central zones reported 492 and 475 cases each. The west reported 18 deaths compared to four in the south and two in the central zone.

The eleven northern districts together had 22,237 active cases, including 18,100 in the Chennai region. There were 12,786 patients under treatment in the west, 4,421 in the south and 3,778 in the central districts.

MBBS quota: Guv still awaits legal opinion -

MBBS quota: Guv still awaits legal opinion -

The Times Of India

Julie.Mariappan@timesgroup.com

Chennai:14.10.2020

It is nearly a month since the state assembly unanimously passed a bill carving out 7.5% of available MBBS seats for government school students, and this year’s NEET results are just a couple of days away. Yet governor Banwarilal Purohit is yet to give his assent to the proposal.

Sources told TOI that Purohit is awaiting legal opinion on the matter. “Chief minister Edappadi K Palaniswami made specific requests to the governor during his recent meeting. The governor is said to be expecting legal opinion from Delhi to enact the law. The government is positive to get assent by this week,” said a source. Palaniswami, his colleagues, C Ve Shanmugam (law) and K P Anbalagan (higher education) along with officials visited Raj Bhavan on October 5 and briefed him about the Bills. Another key academic initiative of the state government — the bifurcation of the Anna University into two institutions — too is awaiting the governor’s nod.

The state has been pushing for the NEET quota for government school students to ensure about 300 seats to them this year. Under the NEET regime only 0.15% seats in the state quota of 4,043 seats went to government school students, bringing enormous discomfiture to the EPS dispensation. The state cabinet had cleared a proposal in June to provide horizontal reservation following retired high court judge justice Kalaiyarasan commission’s report on the huge disparities between private and government school students gaining access to medicine. Due to cognitive gap created by socio economic factors the committee had concluded that “government school students form a separate class and are in a disadvantageous position as compared to private school students.” It recommended 10% of seats in the medical admission on a preferential basis to students who studied from Class VI to higher secondary in government schools. After sending the proposal to the governor to promulgate ordinance, the state cabinet met in July and tweaked the original proposal. The revised proposal allowed RTE students, who studied in government schools from Class XI onwards also eligible to avail the quota. Attempts to contact governor’s secretary Anandrao Vishnu Patil were futile.