Chitlapakkam locals add green to city’s landscape

Chitlapakkam locals add green to city’s landscape

Srikkanth.D@timesgroup.com

Chennai:3.8.2021

At a time whenGreater Chennai Corporation is inviting resident welfare associations to collaborate with it in increasing the city’s green cover, residents of Chitlapakkam, just outside the corporation limits, have taken it upon themselves to help increase lung space in their town panchayat limits.

Last weekend, residents organised a seedball-throwing party at Pachamalai hills near Tambaram to add more green to the city’s landscape.

“We had organized a similar event in September 2019 just before the monsoon. We sourced seed balls from an NGO and threw more than 3,000 seed balls at that time. Due to the onset of pandemic in early 2020, we were not able to continue the seedball-throwing event last year, but have resumed it this year,” said Sunil Jayaraman of Chitlapakkam Rising, a community movement.

The hill is a catchment area and source for the Chitlapakkam lake's rainwater. Considering the citizen movement in Chitlapakkam began with saving the waterbody, it has come as a natural extension to ensure that the catchment area is also well maintained.

“It is an important step for the survival of the lake which we have revived after a public movement,” said Sunil Jayaraman.

Last weekend, about 300 seedballs of native tree varieties such as Pungai and Poovarasu were thrown down the hill by volunteers.

For the seed-ball throwing event, more than 20 people, including kids, hiked the hills on Saturday and Sunday to participate in the event. Apart from increasing the urban lung space, the community movement also acts as a good physical exercise for kids and adults alike.

“While hiking down the hill, residents also collected plastic waste strewn along by visitors. The hill has a good view point and attracts a lot of visitors. But some of them leave behind plastic water bottles and litter which can be avoided,” said a resident.

Apart from this, as part of the ‘Green Chitlapakkam’ initiative, residents have, over the years, planted more than 1,000 saplings in town panchayats, including three urban forests, using the Miyawaki method.

“Now, another set of 100 saplings is ready and will be planted in the next three months,” Sunil said.

Restrictions imminent on ECR attractions as crowds increase

Restrictions imminent on ECR attractions as crowds increase

Yogesh.Kabirdoss@timesgroup.com

Chennai:3.8.2021 

As tourists throng historical attractions across East Coast Road (ECR) on weekends, indications of a lockdown are imminent to check Covid-19 cases.

Monuments maintained by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) at Mamallapuram and theme parks on the entertainment corridor are clocking record footfalls to the extent that the Chengalpet district authorities are now exploring options of banning entry for tourists or cutting down the visiting hours at these monuments.

Nearly 5,000 people visited ticketed monuments at Mamallapuram on Sunday — one of the highest turnout since the centrally protected monuments were reopened this year. Two weeks ago, about 4,200 tourists visited the Pallava era monuments. A theme park without water sport activities on ECR recorded 700 visitors on Sunday. This footfall used to be around 2,000 during pre-Covid times on a weekend. Though ferry services at the TTDC boathouse at Muttukadu remains out of bound for tourists, people shot selfies on the pathway to the facility.

Mamallapuram-based tourist guide R Stalin said a majority of tourists were from Chennai and its neighbouring districts, and Puducherry. “Tourists from Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka have dropped significantly... But the crowd that thronged Mamallapuram on Sunday did cause extensive traffic jam in the town,” he said. It appears that shutting down market places to check Covid-19 cases could have forced people to move to the tourist spots.

An official from the Chengalpet district administration said that special teams have been formed to identify any violation of Covid-19 protocols. “We are also discussing with senior officers on stopping or reducing the timings for visitors. A final decision will be taken before this weekend,” he said.

From Aug 21, city to get first radio station run by senior citizens

From Aug 21, city to get first radio station run by senior citizens

Komal Gautham@timesgroup.com

Chennai:3.8.2021 

The city’s first online community radio station for the elderly is set to be launched on August 21, World Senior Citizens Day. Annai Anbalaya Trust, which is launching the station, to be run by senior citizens, on its premises on TTK Road is modelling it on a similar facility begun in Coimbatore.

It will be among the 10 community radio stations approved by the Union ministry of social justice and empowerment and to be implemented by New Delhi-based National Institute of Social Defence. A letter communication has been received and the financial aspects yet to be discussed.

There will be least four programmes every week, in the form of podcasts, aimed at creating awareness about science and technology and health related issues. There will be cultural programmes as well. The senior citizens will be provided with laptops, microphones and trained in editing software.

N K Rajamani, committee member of Vigyan Prasar living in Chennai, said he conducted research in a few old age homes in the city. “There is a lot of talent in these homes. Of the nearly 50 orphaned women in the home at TTK Road, many sing well and a few have immense knowledge about several current topics,” he said. Another such radio will be set up in Athipattu, on Chennai’s outskirts, later.

B Sreedhar Ramamurthy, the brain behind the country’s first community radio station at Anna University in 2004, said, “We have been allocated —24 lakh to produce 624 podcasts by senior citizens from seven locations this year. These programmes will be exclusively for senior citizens and we will use existing community radio stations at Alagappa University in Karaikudi, Tapovan in Coimbatore, MV EC in Puducherry, Aashiana senior society in Bhiwadi, Radio Sarathi Jhalak in Bengaluru and two in New Delhi at the Indian Institute of Mass Communication to produce them,” he said. The government should set up one such station in each old age home as the cost is minimal —about ₹3,600 per month to use Iradiolive.com, a national podcasting portal run by an NGO.

Rajamani said, “If this pilot at TTK Road becomes successful, we will try to implement it across all 50 senior citizen homes in Chennai with the help of the state government.”

Watch your speed. That’s a highway, not a runway to fly

Watch your speed. That’s a highway, not a runway to fly

90% Of Accidents On ECR Stretch Caused By Overspeeding, But No Follow-Up Action On Violators

Ram.Sundaram@timesgroup.com

3.8.2021 

In February, Union minister for road transport and highways Nitin Gadkari inaugurated an advanced traffic management system along East Coast Road to reduce accidents.

The ₹8.6-crore project set up by the state government included an Automatic Speed Enforcement System (ASES), an Automatic Video Incident Detection System (AVIDS) and a Vehicle-Activated Speed Signs (VASS) —all meant to detect any speeding vehicle or an accident along the 33-km stretch between Akkarai and Mamallapuram and alert the control room at Uthandi toll gate for police to reach the spot soon.

Around a dozen poles with high definition (HD) cameras were installed by Ador, a private firm chosen by the government. But the control centre in Uthandi was shut, when TOI visited the spot last week.

As per the rules, no vehicle can travel more than 80 km per hour (kmph) on ECR. VASS boards, installed on roadsides and medians, warn drivers about excess speed and pick up 8-10 violations every hour.

But there is no follow-up action on speed violations as no alerts are passed on to police through the control room and violators continue to go scot-free. Official data shows that 90% of the nearly 50 accidents reported on ECR between Mamallapuram and Akkarai every year are caused by speeding.

Multiple government sources confirmed that the control centre is yet to become completely functional as some of the components are yet to be installed. They attributed the delay to restricted travel movement of workers from industries in the north due to the lockdown. As of now, the control room is only recording video clips and challans are yet to be generated.

S Kamal Soi, member of the National Road Safety Council, said that enforcement works only when there is fear of being caught and punished. “Having display boards for speed alone will not act as a deterrent. The state government should start feeding this white elephant by starting operations at the control and command centre.”

CCTV surveillance cameras, installed by police, can help, at the most, in investigation and help in finding who was at fault or what went wrong after the accident takes place. Only an effective ASES can save lives, he added. Even civil work (to prevent accidents) has remained incomplete along ECR for years. In some areas, there are no signages along approach roads to alert motorists of incoming vehicles. Some stretches don’t have adequate lighting and there is stray cattle menace too.

Also, the 66-km stretch between the heritage town of Mamallapuram and Marakkanam is only a two-way road. A tender for a project to expand this into a four-way road was floated in 2018. Work has just begun on the stretch between Mamallapuram and Vayalur.

HC’s warning to TN on student admissions in Thiruvalluvar univ

HC’s warning to TN on student admissions in Thiruvalluvar univ

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Chennai:3.8.2021 

The Madras high court has threatened to stay admissions to post-graduate courses in Thiruvalluvar University, if they are made without amending or repealing a law brought in by the former AIADMK government creating Dr J Jayalalithaa University at Villupuram.

The first bench of Chief Justice Sanjib Banerjee and Justice P D Audikesavalu made the observations while hearing a plea moved by former law minister C Ve Shanmugam. He alleged that the present government was neglecting the varsity in district due to political reasons.

When the plea came up for hearing, advocate-general R Shunmugasundaram submitted that except for passing a law for establishment of the university, the previous AIADMK government had not created any infrastructure for the varsity to function.

“Except appointment of a vice-chancellor and a car driver for him, nothing has been allotted for the establishment of the university. Currently, the university functions from an old tahsildar office,” the AG said.

The present government has decided not to waste money on the new university as the Annamalai University, which is spread across 2,000 acres of land, has become a state university now, he added.

The court, however, made it clear that it had to stay the operation of the notification for the admissions if the legislation for establishment of the varsity is operational. The bench then directed the advocate-general to get appropriate instruction from the government on August 4.

Earlier, representing the petitioner, former advocategeneral and senior advocate Vijay Narayan wanted the court to direct the state government to provide necessary funds for the smooth functioning and upkeep of the university.

“Tiruvalluvar University must be restrained from operating post-graduate extension centres in Villupuram in violation of the provisions of the Dr J Jayalalithaa University Act of 2021,” he said.

According to Shanmugam, the university was established in Villupuram by bifurcating the Tiruvalluvar University, following a request from him last year in his capacity as an MLA representing the constituency.

The object of the act was to bifurcate the jurisdiction of Tiruvalluvar University and bring Villupuram, Kallakurichi and Cuddalore districts within the ambit of the new institution.

However, after a change of regime in the state, the new university was being neglected, he alleged.

A litre of petrol for buying fish worth ₹500

A litre of petrol for buying fish worth ₹500

Padmini.Sivarajah@timesgroup.com

Madurai:  02.08.2021 

A fish stall in Madurai made brisk sales on Sunday after it advertised an Aadi offer promising a litre of petrol for every purchase of fish worth ₹500. The offer was advertised by PSA fish stall, which has a chain of shops throughout the city, at its Bibikulam branch, on social media. “I bought my fish from Anna Nagar, but could not resist the offer. So I came all the way to buy some crabs,’’ said K John Philip, who was one of the first customers.

Jaffer, owner of the shop, said they did not witness any surge in customers but raked in better sales as most of their regular customers, who usually bought fish for less than ₹500, bought fish for ₹500 or more to avail the offer.

“People who usually purchase for less than ₹500 purchased more this Sunday, so the fish also sold faster,” he said.

The customers who availed themselves of the offer were given tokens to fuel up from a local l bunk. “It was a very good move as distributing fuel in cans or bottles could have led to problems of safety,” said K Chandran who purchased fish for ₹600.“Fuel has become as expensive, so this was an offer which was irresistible,” said Sivaranjani who came to the shop early on Sunday.

Meanwhile, in Dindigul, a meat stall gave away silverware to customers on Sunday as Aadi offer. Ananth mutton stall in Chinnalapatti gave away a vessel worth ₹100 for a kilogram of mutton which was given at a discounted rate of ₹690 and a smaller one for halfa-kg. Boneless mutton was sold at ₹800 per kg. Virumaraj, owner of Anand Mutton stall, said that the offers brought good revenue, as more people came forward to buy meat.

FUEL FOR FISH: The offer was advertised by PSA fish stall, which has a chain of shops throughout Madurai, at its Bibikulam branch

13,000 nurses, docs trained in paediatric Covid-19 care

PREP FOR 3RD WAVE

13,000 nurses, docs trained in paediatric Covid-19 care

Ram.Sundaram@timesgroup.com

Chennai:02.08.2021 

Ahead of an expected third wave, the Tamil Nadu chapter of the Indian Academy of Paediatrics (IAP), in coordination with the state health department, is training nurses and doctors online to manage Covid-19 in children. Nearly 10,000 staff nurses and 3,800 paediatricians in government and private hospitals across the state have received the training so far.

IAP, a body of paediatricians, aims at preparing close to 50,000 healthcare workers in the state before the onset of a third wave. The training programme has four modules — triaging, clinical management, prevention and overview of paediatric Covid. The program is being conducted free of cost.

K Rajendran, state secretary of IAP, said a majority of the nurses are hesitant to handle paediatric Covid cases as they are uncertain about the patient’s response to medicines. So, one main aspect of the programme is to train them on how to manage children and when to raise a red flag so that mortality will remain low.

"Another aspect is post-Covid complications. We are witnessing more Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children (MIS-C) cases of late. For every 100 MIS-C cases, at least 60 need treatment in ICUs. So we need more paediatric ICUs with trained nurses," Rajendran said.

The IAP has formed a paediatric task force which will assist healthcare workers across the state in treating such cases. They are creating an online app which can provide data on the number of oxygen beds, ICU and doctors available in paediatric wards across the state. A MIS-C registry is also being prepared.

Welcoming this, Dr Balasubramanian, senior paediatrician from Kanchi Kamakoti Child Trust Hospital in Chennai, said with many Indian states planning to reopen schools, more children might become susceptible to infection. "We hope that this publicprivate initiative will ensure quality healthcare in not just tertiary, but primary and secondary levels too," he said.

The state government claimed that they have adequate ICU beds to handle a third wave and they have procured adequate quantities of drugs of choice such as Intravenous Immunoglobulin (IVIG) to treat MIS-C and paediatric Covid.